Kin of Darkness, Naruto of Light
by Quick-n-Popular
Summary: Kin Tsuchi's life has always been dark. Her parent's murder, slavery, and now being amongst the three to become Orochimaru's tool. Is there any way out? Naruto seems to think so, much to her dismay and surprise. Narukin. Please R&R.
1. A Memento

"Kin of Darkness, Naruto of Light"

By Quick-n-Popular

Disclaimer: "Naruto" and all its characters are properties of Masashi Kishimoto-sama. I own only the story I've concocted and the original characters that I introduce in the said story.

Chapter One: A Memento

Her life had been a happier one...briefly.

She smiled then...all the time.

Life was beautiful...always.

Sitting inside a bunker underneath the earth, just outside of Fire Country; a figure, brushing her long midnight hair, thinks to herself, solemnly. The bunker itself was empty, beside herself. A candle being the only source of ligh in the room, applied with a fire-jutsu for a brighter effect; nothing other could be said for the room besides the three cots, a dusty wodden table, and a mirror the girl had brought with her. Setting the brush down on the table she was leaning her back against, the girl reached into the pouch behind her and rummaged into it. Her fingers abruptly stopped, her almond-brown eyes widdened, and her face shifted as her mind raced.

Slowly extracting her fingers, in their grasp were to things: her Hitai, that had the symbol of her village on it; the other... her past.

Tying her Hitai around her forhead with one hand, she glanced at the other object held in her other. An embroidered cloth, the size of her hand, monogramed with her initials and a blue bird above them. As with all mementos of significance, once held, touched, gazed upon; that person becomes engulfed into the history behind the object, as does she...

* * *

A girl of six years is sitting inside her mother's bird sancutary on their farm just on the outskirts of the Whirlwind Country. Lying on her back, twiddling the stem of a daisy between her thumb and forehinger; the girl looks over and smiles lovingly as her mother hums melodically to her caged pets.

Her mother always had a beautiful voice. No matter how old she got, her voice still carried its spellbinding quality. The girl closed her eyes as she continued to listen, letting the tranquility of it all to ensnare her. However, such a peaceful time was not meant to last on, on this day. A violent slamming and glass breaking brouth the two to see the entrance of the sanctum to see the man of the house, the girl's father, the woman's husband, lying on the floor. Several kunai could be seen embedded into his head and chest, his mouth agape, his eyes widened in their last moment of shock. Three figures came into view after the heart-wrenching appearence, their cruel malovenlent laughter carried and mixed into the ongoing cries of despairity of the two females. One sneered as he roughly slammed his foot down on top of the kunai in the man's chest. He then spoke.

"Masachi-san wasn't too smart. Should have paid us for being on our land."

The woman, tearfully shouted at the man. "You lie! We own this land! We've owned this land for eight generations!"

The man, whose scarred face was covered ever so much by that of a growing beard, barked with laughter. "Yeah right, that's what he said. But you know what?" At an unspoken signal, one of the men behind of the one facing the women, threw two shurikans that struck the woman full on the chest; she collapsed instantly.

"The dead own nothing!" The man sneered.'

"Kaa-san!" The girl wailed as she started to go to where her mother fell. However, two of them men suddenly appeared in front of her, both leering and giggling evily. The girl paled, her legs shook uncontrollably as she whimpered. Fearing what might happen next, she crouched down to the floor, her arms covering her head as she cried instantly.

The third man slowly approached his voice soothing like a snake's hiss. "Now, now, little girlie. We aren't the type who kill children are we men?"

The others laughed as they nodded.

The girl remained in her postion, shaking violently as she could hear his steps come closer.

"You're going for a little trip with us. It'll be fun...you'll see." The man said as his hand came down and snagged the collar of the girl's dress and hioseted her off the floor and onto his back. He turned back to his men as the girl started wriggling and shouting in sobbing protests. "I want the two of you to have our little base set up by the time I come back from cashing in our little kitten here. Understood?"

The two men nodded.

He nodded back and soon, he flew out the door of the sanctum and across the land...

* * *

"Hey, Kin, you awake?"

Kin Tsuchi looked up from the embroidered cloth to Dosu who looked at her impatiently with his one visible eye.

Kin closed her eyes as she tucked the cloth back into her back pouch as she then looked past Dosu and then all around. She glared as her attention came back to Dosu.

"He's not back yet?" She asked. Their other teammate had an uncanny knack for always not showing up when he was supposed to.

Dosu shook his head. "No and Orochimaru's getting pissed. You know how he hates being kept waiting."

Kin shuddered as she nodded. She then looked at Dosu, quizzically. "Any idea on what the Snake-sennin wants with us three?"

The bandaged, hunched, figure shook his head. "No clue. There are whisperes going around Oto that a plan's being set up to attack Kohona, but you hear one of those every day by drunkards."

Kin nodded. "Koroku-sensei has hinted that we're to be attending the Chuunin Exams in Kohona. By the way he speaks, I think there are other things we'll be doing while we're there."

Dosu cocked his head to the side. "Like what?"

Kin gave a smug lopsidded grin. "Something fun, hopefully."

To be continued...

A/N: This story is going to be about Kin 's ambigeous past and how she and her team become the objects of Orochimaru's plan for his Kuchiyose: Edotensei (Summoning: Reanimation). However, there'll be some, tweaks, made later on, for reasons that'll become obvious. Incidentally, with making this story, I'll probably will need a BETA who can help me with soem details and (regrettably) with the spelling and grammar. So those who'd like to help out, please either respond in the review or PM me. Thanks.

A/N II: Please review after reading. It'lkl help in more ways than you know.

Q-n-P


	2. Tokens of Appreciation

**Chapter Two: Tokens of Appreciation**

Kin, after Zaku had arrived, went with her team to a secluded area in the forrest region outside of Kohona to await for their sensei, Kouroku.

Having been told by their sensei back in Otogakure that their be an objective made by their Lord Orochimaru in Kohona led the three to be in Fire Country. Soon, a hawk, as of yesterday, informing them of their meeting location. The message brought them here to this very spot. Considering what they knew of the Snake man, the three were very wary as to what their roles might be. However, their sensei hinting to the fact of them participating in this year's Chuunin Exam had their fears slightly erased from their minds. a chime in the air sounded the arrival of their sensei as a figure appeared to their right.

Kouroku-sensei stood a five and six feet tall, his hair was a ratty, spiked, black with silver streaks going in all directions. Two angular scars ran down his left eye. He smirked as he greeted his students.

"Good you're here. All in good health?"

Kin knew he really didn't care, it was mostly a joke to him to inquire. The three nodded, despite this knowledge.

Zaku looked around, nervously. "Where's Orochimaru-sama? Wasn't he to come with you?"

"He has gone ahead." An evil smirk spreaded on his face. "I'm sure you'll see him soon enough. Now, down to business, shall we?"

The three nodded.

He nodded back. "Orochimaru-sama sez that the plan is a go ahead. You three will be representing Oto in the Chuunin Exams and, afterwards, as you know; will be helping the massacre of the village." His face then scowled as he said in a monotonous tone, "If one of you three screw this up, you know what the consequences will be, am I right?"

The three nodded without hesitation.

Kouroku's smirk resurfaced. "Good. Now, begone." He dismissed.

The three then dashed away into the forrest heading toward Kohonagakure.

Dosu led the way and Kin was left in the back, to which she was thankful. Smelling the fragrance that the forest provided enriched her as it was a time to seperate herself from what was going on in the present. This was a very rare time to be herself and she basked in it as she knew it would soon slip away from her and she'd, once again, have to dorne the mask of an ill-spirited, malicious, person. She found the area to be somewhat uplifting compared to the rigirous barren area that was Rice country. In a way, she felt as if she had been in this area before, yet that was far from the truth as she knew this place only shared the look but nothing of the direness that accompanied the other place that soon came fully into her mind...

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She had been traveling with the man who, along with his two partners, had killed her mother and father for three days now. She had grown silent during this time. Refusing to speak as she had grown into a terrified stupor. The images of her father and her mother lying dead had permanently settled in her eyes and when ever the man she was now with got within a few feet of her, she'd curl up into a ball and shake like a leaf in a storm. The man seemed either not to notice or showed no sympathy for his captive's state, yet, all the while he still tried to lull her with his silver-tongue promises and speaches.

"Just a little farther," He said, "And soon you'll make me some money, dear kitten."

Kitten. That was what he always called her. He emphasized it often by brushing his finger down her back or giving light tugs on the tips of her ears, making the girl shudder and whimper all the more, much to his malevolent delight.

The two traveled till they reached a clearing in a mountainous region surrounded by tall fir trees. The smell that accumilated by the tress was fragrant and it seemed her captor dispised it as his nose twitched and he seemed to scowl more times than often. In the clearing, they happened upon a group of people looking to be Kin's age. All these children were raggid, malnourished, and looking very worse for the wear. Two tall brooding men with multiple peircings on their ears, eyes, and noses watched over them as they ate by a small makeshift campfire in this early morning. One looked up as he noticed their guests.

"Hey, Tabuuyo, look; it seems Naido has brought us something." The man said, smirking.

Tabuuyo, his partner, look disinterested as he looked back to his breakfast.

The man walked over to Naido and Kin. "What have you been up to lately, Naido?"

Naido smirked, "Business, as usual, Tesai." He then looked down at Kin. "I got you a new kitten."

Tesai peered down and then squatted as he observed Kin. Kin was shaking more than usual as her wide eyes and quivering mouth looked uneasily at the man. The man brought the thumb of his right hand directly into Kin's mouth as he brought her jaw forcibly down. He pulled his head in closer as he looked at the top and bottom of her teeth.

"She takes care of them, good." He noted as he then looked over her body and squeezed her arms, legs, and shoulders. "Muscles aren't too bad." He then stood up and joustled her off her feet and pushed her harshly at her back causing her to walk forward. "Her posture's good as well." Tesai looked up at Naido. "Can she speak?"

Naido nodded. "There were lots of books around the place. Her family reads a lot."

Tesai smiled, "That makes her more valuable, then. People pay more for those who can think for themselves." Tesai then noticed several bruises on the sides of the girl's face. He looked to Naido who seemed to grasp what the man was about to ask next.

"Had to shut her up several times. Don't worry, those are the only ones."

Tesai nodded, "Good. Cause you know we don't take damaged goods."

Naido nodded and then reached over and brought the girl back to his side. "I want 8,500 Ryo for her, no less."

Tesai scowled and then looked over to his partner for confirmation. Tabuuyo, at first looked as though he hadn't heard their conversation; however, he put down his spoon as he looked to Tesai from the corner of his eye and nodded.

Tesai looked back at Naido. "As always Naido, you strike a hard bargain. It's a deal."

Naido shoved the girl to Tesai as Tesai tossed him a bag filled with the money spoken of.

"Farewell, little kitten." Naido winked as he soon disappeared in the in the forest and was gone.

Tesai watched him leave and then looked down at the girl. "Have you eaten?"

Kin, who was still wrentched in fear, gave a slight nod.

"Good." Tesai said. "Cause you won't eat again until this night. If you have a name, I don't want to know it. You're number 42 for now on. If you have complaints for the predicament you're in, get over it. This is you're life now and you'd better show us resepct or you'll face consequences like no other, got it?"

Kin nodded vigorously.

Tesai nodded and then led her back to the ohers seated and had her sit down with them. He then performed several hand signs and pressed two fingers against the cain between the two cuffs of a young boy in front of her. The chain elongated and formed another set of cuffs at the end which Tesai opened and attached to Kin's wrists.

"You'll be quiet now, like the others, while Tabuuyo and I finish our breakfast; then we'll start our march to the next village to see how many of you we can sell. Again, no noise." He then left her and rejoined his partner.

Kin watched him leave before turning her attention to the other children in the chained-linked group. All of them looked as if they were already dead as their was no light in their eyes and their downcasted expressions suggested that they had no hope either.  
New fresh tears cascaded down Kin's cheeks as her whole world felt as if an even darker shroud had been casted over it...  
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"We're here." Announced Dosu, snapping Kin's attention back to the present.

They had arrived in Kohonagakure. The difference between this village and theirs was immediatly evident as she could see only two Chuunins gaurding the entrance to the village as oppose to Sound as it had at least twenty mnade up of both Chuunin and Jonin. As soon as they came within distance, Dosu handed the inquiring Chuunin their paperwork announcing their intention to participate in the Chuunin Exam. Afterwards they were allowed entrance as both Chuunins stepped aside.  
As they passed them, Kin eyed them, smugily as she laughed to herself how, it seemed, that anyone could stroll into this village under the guise of good intentions and no one would be wiser. What fools.  
Coming inside the village, her whole demeanor about the village was somewhat left behind her as her found itself hanging a little as she took in the entirety of the village.  
Kohona was impressive. The many trees that adorned the buildings that scattered about gave it a unique feel as opposed to the other villages Kin has visited. Plus people here seemed...happy.

"What a bunch of freaks and goody-goodies." Zaku smirked as he then yawned. "I don't know about you two, but I'm heading off for some shut-eye." He then left his companions as he strolled off and then disappeared into a crowd of people.

"Does he even know where we're staying at? Even I don't know." Kin said to Dosu, scowling.

Dosu looked up at her. "Zaku sleeps anywhere he can." He then brought out a piece of paper. "According to this, we're to be staying at the "Wild Fire Inn and Onsen". I'll head there now and set up the seals so we can talk undisturbed."

Kin nodded and then heard a quiet rumble from her stomach. "You do that. I'm going to find some food. I'll meet up with you two later, when I feel like it." She added the last part in as she flashed an evil smile. Dosu merely nodded as he jumped and disappeared. Kin waited awhile after he left before sighing and looking around for some restaurant she could sit at. Her nose caught the lingering smell that appealed to her and she was soon directed to a small little restaurant called "Ichiraku's". Eight stools sat in front of the small stand where a man in his late fourties was wiping the counter. As Kin sat his attention came to her.

"Ah, good morning." He said, greeting. "Here for the Chuunin Exam, I suppose?"

Kin nodded and then opened up the menu as she sat down. After scanning it for a minute, she decided what she wanted. "I'll have the Miso Ramen Special."

The man nodded and then brought forth her some herbal tea already preparred as he then went back into the kitchen.

Kin took a quick sip of her tea as she let her tensed up muscles relax as she gave out a breath that she hadn't remembered ever holding in. Her eyes drooped, slowly as she looked over her shoulder and took in the scene which, she could only guess, was a normal 'Kohona day'. Everyone seemed...happy. She could see children chasing each other laughing with merriment. Her face betrayed her as an unknown small smile spread. Then, she closed her eyes and started humming.  
One thing she had taken with her, the only thing, other than the embroidery, that she brought with her from the past; was that memorable tune her mother used to sing to her birds.

Kin didn't think she was being loud enough to cause attention, hell, she thought she was doing it to herself and not outloud at all. However, as her eyes opened a bit, she found a short, blond, haired boy with deep cerulean eyes gaping at her in wonder. Her eyes contorted into discomfort and a tint of pink formed on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

"Wow." He said. "Thats...That was beautiful! How did you make that sound?"

Kin took a brief moment and sized the boy up with her eyes. He appeared to be almost as tall as she was and was probably around her age. He wore an impossibly bright orange jumpsuit, which baffled her to no end. He had thin whisker-like scars that ran on each of his cheeks. His hands had several sores and contusions that led her to believe that he trained hard, almost all the time. Seeing his headband surmized it all and, once she was satisfied with her quick observation, Kin turned her head around, avoiding any further contact.

The propitor of the Ichiraku's came back with her meal and she nodded her head to him, polietly. "Arigato."

The man's attention came to the blond who was still looking at Kin.

"Hey, Naruto! What can I get for you today?" He asked.

'Naruto? As in the ramen?' Kin asked herself, astounded. Seeing the boy's fashion-sense and know hearing his name, she felt a bemused sense of pity for the poor kid.

"Beef ramen as usual, old man!" The kid said, cheerfully. The man nodded and went back, again, to the kitchen.

Just as Kin was already half-finished, much to her annoyance, the boy, Naruto, had his gaze once again upon her.

Kin was getting really irritated, now.

She abruptly turned her head and glared as she souted, "What?!"

The boy jumped a little. Bits of beaded sweat appeared on the corners of his temple as he stammered. "N-Nothing. I'm still curious about that song you were humming, that's all. It was nice. Pretty, even."

If Kin was pink before she was downright red now. Her glare spoke in volumes as her mind reeled into trying to find an appropriate response or to find an escape out of this. However, the boy suddenly changed the topic.

"You're from Sound, right?" He pointed to her Hitae.

Kin nodded, the color of her face was dissapating, much to her relief.

"Are you...taking part in the Chuunin Exams?" He asked, slowly.

Again, Kin nodded.

The bopy seemed to brighten and then a smug expression appeared on his face. He jerked his thumb to his chest. "So am I. I'll have to warn you though, I doubt there's anyone from any village that can come against me or my team."

Kin starred blankly at the boy. Where did all this come from? At first he looked like just a nosey little Genin and now he was declaring himself unbeatable to her? Kin just sighed as she returned to her tea. She then realized that the boy had wanted a response as his face was pouting and he was looking expectingly at her. Luckily, for Kin, his attention was diverted as the man brought him his ordered meal, to which Kin, quietly, thanked Kami.

However, Kin found herself looking at the boy once more as she found a certain thing about to be somewhat familiar...

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It had been little over a year since Kin had been sold to the slave caravan. She soon found her place and her persona soon reflected that of those in her group.

Everyday seemed to melt into the other, showing no difference from the last. They'd trapse along the roads, countrysides, and mountain paths; visiting villages, towns, cities, and settlements. To insure they'd go unnoticed by wandering eyes and officials, Tabuuyo casted a Genjutsu over the whole party to make the appearence that they were two senseis traveling with their students. No one ever seemed to think it to be something that what they had saw. Kin had the unfortunate experience to be constantly prodded, pushed, and examined by those "interested" in her. Every one of them had an unsavory look about them and none of them to regard her as anything other than a slab of meat or a piece of livestock, like the rest in her group. However, much to her relief, none had the means to purchase her from Tesai and Tabuuyo as both men were asking for a very high price when it came Kin. This, unfortuantely, led to some animosity within the group of children she was with; as, even though none of them even spoke to her, they all seemed to distance themselves from her when the two men had them rest during their travels. Some even had resorted to stealing some of her share of the scraps they were given, others would throw murderous glance at her direction. Most of the time, Kin just sat and gazed down at the ground and held tightly to her memories as a means to escape.

One morning, as they were leaving Kumogakure, they happened upon a wrecked traveling unit that had been burnt to cinder. Many bodies lay about in grotesque fashions as it was apparent that highway robbers had happened upon the unlucky group. Tesai took the moment to have everyone in the group to look about for things to salvage and goods that could be used or sold. Kin and the rest complied and begain rummaging through the burning debris for anything of interest. Soon, one of the boys called out as he had discovered a barely breathing young boy that was the lone survivor of the incident, trapped under the girth of the broken, burning, wagon. After applying a healing jutsu, the boy, Tetsuyo, soon joined the slaves' ranks.

Tetsuyo was a rather lanky boy, with sandy blond hair and forrest-green eyes. Kin, at first hadn't paid that much attention to him; her attention changed as one morning when they were being fed that the boy, stupidly, began to make noise about his current situation.

Tetsuyo had been mumbling and casting dirty glances at Tesai and Tabuuyo that morning during breakfast. After the slave masters fed the left overs of the breakfast they had preparred for themselves to their "stock", the two then sat themselves underneathe a tree and began to enjoy their lare portions. Tetsuyo seemed to be seething as he got to his feet and threw his plate across, and at, his captors and started yelling, defiantly.

"I'm sick of this!"

This got the attention of not only the slave masters but the slaves as well. Kin was roused from her thoughts and looked alarmingly at the boy at his outburst.

Tesai sighed as he got up and walked over to Tetsuyo, scowling as he came to a stop in front of the boy, his arms crossed.

"What's that?" He asked.

Tetsuyo crossed his arms as well. "You heard me! I'm sick of this! You feed us practically nothing! You make us walk miles and give us NOTHING in return!"

Kin gulped as she feared of what might come next.

However, Tesai merely smirked. "You know, it would have been easier to just have let you die back there in Kumo, number 78. You really should be keeping your mouth shut and be eating like all the other good little boys and girls here."

Tetsuyo, however, seemed unfazed. "They're cowards for not standing up to you guys. I'm not! I'm not afraid of either one of you!"

Tesai cocked his head, like a falcon observing the struggling prey it had in its talons. "Oh, really? Is that so?"

Tetsuyo gave a defiant nod, his expression firm.

Tesai turned back and walked a little ways before turning around and delivering a kick that sent Tetsuyo, and several of those he was chained to, flying off and colliding into a large boulder sticking out of the earth.

Kin winced and trembled as she felt the vibration come from the impact to her cuffs on her wrists.

Tesai slowly walked over to the moaning group that lay sprawled on the ground and, with a firm grip, lifted the arm of Tetsuyo's and brought the boy to his eye-level. The boy was bleeding profusly from the head, he looked as though he had been knocked out.

"Say that again, number 78. Please, one more time."

Tetsuyo didn't say anything. His breathing was raggid and his eyes were coming in and out of focus.

"Tesai, enough. The baka's learned his lesson." Tabuuyo, who rarely spoke said as he stood up, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Tesai smirked. "You got lucky kid. But this will be the last time." He then spoke louder as he addressed everyone. "All of you, get up! We move now!"

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Kin soon left the stand, her memories of that day still holding tightly to her. The boy, Naruto, had stopped asking her questions as he was now on his tenth helping of ramen. Kin could only shake her head again in marvel at what an oddity the boy was.

Kin made her way back to the Inn where she and her group would be staying. The "Wild Fire Inn and Onsen" was a rather impressive four storied building attached with a large bath house behind the building itself. Kin soon found out that the place was usually used for forigen dignitaries and clan get togethers.

The lady at the front desk told her that her and her team were situated in room 213. Making her way up, she passed several other Genin attending for the Chuunin Exam. Most of them she paid no mind to as she made her way up, however, the killing intent coming from a huddled group from Suna soon hade her breaking away from where she was looking and taking a quick glance at the three. It seemed the killing intent reverberated off of mostly the shortest one in the group. He had short, red, unkept hair. His eyes had black rings around them and the kanji for "love" was abvove his right eye.

'Oh yeah. That boy's screaming 'love' alright.' Kin thought. She noticed the huge gourd on the back of the boy and quickly deduced that it was most likely his weapon, or whatever lay in it. She turned her face away as she climbed the stairs and turned a corner and very soon arrived at her door, where she entered.

"I'm back." She said. "So what have you two losers been-" Kin stopped as she noticed that her team wasn't alone in the room. In the room was also Kouroku-sensei and, in the corner looking bemused with a twisted grin on his face, was Orochimaru.

Kin immediately closed the door behind her and walked into the room. She got down on one knee and inclined her had as she put a fist to her chest.

"Orochimaru-sama." She greeted. "It's an honor for you to be here."

Orochimaru cocked his head to the side and then cackled. "Ku, ku, ku. I'm pleased to see you back so soon, Kin-chan. Please, rise."

Kin nodded and got to her feet. After bowing to OIrochimaru, and then to her sensei, she joined her group and sat down next to them on the foot of the bed as the three of them awaited for what their Lord had to say to them.

"As you three already may know, I have something, special, planned for this year's Chuunin Exam. You three have the best means to fullfill it. Before I tell you what those means are, I'd like to ask each of you how'd you like the idea of being a Kage?" Orochimaru gave a sinioster smile as he looked at each of his nins faces.

At first no one spoke. Usually, most of the weird questions like these asked by Orochimaru were considered his twisted sense of humor, given how he didn't really care about others hopes and dreams and just used moments like these to please himself.

Zaku was the first to respond. "I don't know. I'td be kinda neat, I guess..."

Dosu turned away and nodded.

Kin's experience with their Lord was that, even though he liked to amuse himself, everything he said, usually, had a purpose. However, she held her tongue and just followed in Dosu's example by giving a mere nod.

Orochimaru clapped his hands together. "Splendid. Then, I'll just do THAT." He then reached to his side and brought out three syringes contained with an unidentifiable substance that seemed to give off a green sort of chakra glow. He injected the first in Zaku's neck, the second into Dosu's arm, and, lastly; the third into Kin below her collar bone.

"When the time comes, you may just yet have your wish." He said, his words sweet like poisoned chocolate. He then turned to Kouroku. "How are things on your end?"

Kouroku, mimicking the arm salute that Kin had done prior, while incling his head, said. "Everything's in order, my Lord. The men have returned from Suna and have declared their mission a success."

Orochimaru's snake-like slitted eyes gleamed. "Excellent. Very good." He then turned back to the three who were rubbing the areas they had been injected.

"Now you three be good little Genin and be on your best for the Chuunin Exams. You know what my response will be should anything you do draw questions, am I right?"

All three stood and slammed their fists to their chests, incling their heads. "Hai, Orochimaru-sama!" They said in unison.

Orochimaru nodded and then nodded back to Kouroku before exiting their room.

As soon as he had left, the three raised their heads again, Zaku letting out a breath. Kouroku left soon after, before he did he reminded them all of Orochimaru's words and then he was gone. Once the two were gone, the three sat and looked at the areas they had been 'marked'.

"His 'token of appreciation', I guess you'd call it." Dosu mused.

"Nothing ever comes good when the Snake Sennin gives you anything." Zaku said in a depressed tone.

"Lambs to the slaughter." Kin said, scowling. "'Appreciation' my ass. More like hard wiring a bomb and setting timer."

"I'll bet anything its the forbidden jutsu that we're being used for. Orochimaru has something clever up his sleeve and we're to be used for it." Dosu said.

Zaku fell back on to the bed and exhasberated. "This sucks!"

Dosu nodded. "Oh, well. Might as well go out in a bang, I guess. Who knows, maybe we'll get to kill somebody before then?"

Zaku gave him an evil grin. "I hope so. I want this trip to be memorable."

Kin didn't say anything more. She left her teammates and went outside to the balcony that ajoined their room. The evening's air was pleasent tonight. Her long hair got caught and playfully danced about, every so often touching her face in various places. Kin brought her hands to her elbows as she leaned forward, her eyes soon closed as she thought back on what Orochimaru had said. Her mind didn't stop there as she went further back to another sweet little lie that her "Lord" had told her once...

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The slave caravan had come to their new destination, Otogakure. Tesai had announced that this would be their next stop.

As usual, Tabuuyo placed a Genjutsu over the group until they arrived at the designated building where the children were to be inspected by prospective buyers. One by one they would line up and then turn facing their awaiting merchants. Each man, or woman, would first approach Tesai and give him an estimate of what they could afford and then he would point to the one, or more, of the children that was in that person's price range.

The day dwindled on and so far five children had been sold. Kin had been neglected as no person yet had the money to purchase her.

Tesai was about to wrap it up when a sudden hush fell over everyone in the group of buyers. All eyes had turned to the back of the room where a figure was making its slow approach.

As the figure came into view, Kin was shocked to see both Tesai and Tabuuyo pale as the looked at the person approaching them. Kin did as well as she found the man to be scary and one of the nightmarish kind.

Tesai gulped. "L-Lord O-Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru grinned, pleased that he installed fear into so many. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the slave traders Tesai and Tabuuyo. Been busy boys?"

Both men nodded as they continued to pale.

Orochimaru's eyes then glistened as they looked over to the children. Some of them stood back in fear, other sweated, and onbe shrieked.

Orochimaru cackled, "Ku, ku, ku. What energetic one you've got. Now, let's see..." He slowly slithered this way around each of the children, looking them up and down and making not a sound. As soon as he got to Kin a smile appeared on his lips.

"Who are you, child?"

Kin gulped. "N-Number 42, s-sir." She then bowed as she had been instructed by Tesai to all those who asked her questions.

Orochimaru shook his head. "No, that's not what I asked. That's who you are to them. Who are YOU, child?"'

Kin gulped and glanced at Tesai who was sweating a bit. He caught her eye and simply nodded. Kin looked back to Orochimaru's awaiting eyes.

"T-Tsuchi. Tsuchi Kin."

Orochimaru nodded his head in approval. He then turned his head to Tesai and Tabuuyo. "I'll take her, slaver."

Usually, Tesai gangs up ont those who wished to purchase Kin and demand they have the right amount with them. This time, he just nodded without saying anything.

Later on, after leaving her slavers and the children, Orochimaru took her to a little cafe in the town where they immediatly sat. During this time, while her head was down, Kin could tell that Orochimaru's eyes were looking all over her and finally, once he was done, he spoke.

"Well, Tsuchi Kin. Here we are."

She nodded, quietly.

"Tell me of your life before you were a slave."

Kin looked up at him, confusedly. "W-Why, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru looked at her with a dreamy expression as he rested his chin in his hand. "Humor me."

Kin gulped as she shakily told him all that happened to her to the point when her parents were killed and she was made a slave. When she finished, her eyes were wattery and she dabbed at the with her fists.

Orochimaru had smile on his face. "You'd like to get back at those who took your life away wouldn't you?"

Kin looked at him in shock and then looked down at the counter and nodded.

Orochimarul brought her small hand into his pale corroded one. "I can make it happen, child. All I ask, is you're unwavering loyalty. Give me that and you shall ask for nothing more."

She starred at him and then looked down again, considering what options she thought she had. She then looked up and smiled as she wiped the last tear drop away from her face.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

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That was five years ago. After those years she was trained and became Genin of Otogakure and now...now she was as good as dead. Her wish to vindicate what had happened to her would never be fullfilled. Kin slumped own as tears, rare tears, began to slowly cascade their way down her cheeks and fill the space in between her lips as she began to quietly sob in despair.

To be continued....

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. The next one won't be up for a couple of days, so until then, peace!

Q-n-P


	3. To Wear a Mask

A/N: Word of warning, there's profanity in this chapter.

**Chapter Three: To Wear a Mask**

The next morning found Kin and her teammates making their way to the building for the gathering of participants for this year's Chuunin Exam.

Last night's emotions were still fresh in her mind, Kin, however, once again donned her "mask" as she and fellow team members made their way through. Her team was quiet. It wasn't surprising to her that neither one of them spoke out about their feelings from last night's revelations of their role in the destruction of Kohona. Some of which, Kin was surprised. Zaku was always the one who spoke out on whatever was on his mind at the time; he now was unusually quiet. Dosu was always the quiet one, so Kin never really expected him to comment on anything unless tempted. Kin, herself, knew better to let others know how she felt. ever since she became a Kunoichi of Oto, she has learned that the rare and few female members of Oto's nin ranks were best to shed the fact that they were females and try to blend in with their thoughtless, heartless, male counterparts. She had learned this from a very dear friend...

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It had been two weeks since Kin had been bought by Orochimaru from Tesai and Tabuuyo. In Otogakure, she was set up to live in a coed dormitory filled with youths her age and older. She had found out that many of these youths, the majority, actually; had been brought here by similar circumstance by Orochimaru himself or one of his associates. Almost all of them had come from dire circumstances. There were a few who were born in the area and had joined Orochimaru straight out of willingness.  
When Kin had arrived to the boarding house, she was sent to a two bedroom complex and met her first roommate, and also her very first friend in Otogakure.  
Walking along the hallway with a box containing the bare minimum of personal items and toiletries that Orochimaru bought for her during their first meeting, she walked at a slow pace behind a Chuunin through the hallway, her eyes were downcast as she was unsure to greet the youths that stood chatting around her. While some made some, albeit, little, acknowledgments to her being there; none of them approached her.

At first, Kin was happy about her current situation. Orochimaru gave her the many things she hasn't had in a long time since her abduction: A place to stay, an education, and, most importantly; the promise of revenge against those who had ripped her once happy life apart. These were the solemn promises he made to her back at the cafe. Kin vowed to do what ever her Lord wished in order to make her dreams reality.

The Chuunin was a tall man, quiet, reserved; nothing terribly remarkable as he made little comment or introduction when she had first met him. Kin figured that most of the nins in Otogakure were like this and that it was a force of habit and lifestyle. She was told, mostly by Orochjimaru, that many of the goings on in the village itself were considered secretive and thus the people themselves prided in it and made it their duty to make sure it kept that way. Looking at all the faces which spoke nothing of their true being, led Kin to confirm her suspicions.

Half way through the hallway, The Chuunin stopped in front of a room marked "Room 344". He knocked twice before a feminine voice replied, "You may enter."

Once the door was opened, Kin was welcomed by the smell of lilac and burning tea candles. The room itself was small, yet spacious to a degree. the walls were decorated in a light toned colors and purple "twinkly lights" where casted about in web-like patterns. A low sound of a women singing a haiku could be heard in the back ground along with a low blowing sound, presumably a hair dryer.

The Chuunin closed the door behind them and Kin placed her box on the small love seat in the room. Soon, a head leaned out of a doorway to aanother room where the hair dryer sound was coming from. A girl, probably two years older than Kin, her red hair still moist from a previous shower; looked at the two people with a bit of perplexity before closing her eyes and sighing before returning inside of the bathroom.

"New roommate, huh?" She said in a, rhetorical, withdrawn tone.

The Chuunin next to Kin grunted in affirmation.

The blow dryer stopped as the girl emerged wrapped in a towel as she took another one and started to dry the rest of her head. She sighed again as she said.

"What's your name?"

Kin looked abashedly to the floor, sensing some disapproval from her new roommate. "Tsuchi Kin."

The other girl nodded as she went to the other side of the room and went behind a tall three-panelled, changing mesh screen. Several seconds later, she emerged wearing a knitted woolly cap that had bandages wrapped around the brim, a black tanktop, and a pair of black track pants. She walked over and eyed Kin up and down before plopping down on the love seat and then closing her eyes.

"I'm Lindo Tayuya, bust everyone refers to me by Tayuya." She then looked at Kin's box of assortments and began rummaging through them.

"You can go now." She said dismissively.

Kin gulped as she looked down at the floor, wondering what she had done to have gotten her roommate's disapproval so early. Then, she noticed the Chuunin bowing and then leaving the two of them. Kin sighed in relief.

Tayuya looked up, "What was that for?"

Kin blushed. "N-Nothing."

Tayuya looked at her again and then pushed her box aside as she leaned her head against a propped up arm and looked at Kin.

"You don't have that much, you know."

Kin sighed and looked away, nodding. "I know."

"Did you just come to Oto?"

Kin nodded.

"Well, you'll get more. Trust me, you'll need to if you want to survive. Let me give you the ten-cent tour of the place before you unpack." Tayuya said as she groaned and got up. She showed her to the kitchen, the breakfast bar, the bathroom; all the while making strict comments as to what the two of them could share and what was off limits. Finally, she showed her a map of Oto that was on the wall. She showed Kin of where everything there was in Oto from the bath houses to the predestined meeting areas that Orochiumaru demanded his people to be at when he was to give announcements. Lastly, on the same map, Tayuya showed Kin the areas that were forbidden to go. Once she was finished, she waited as Kin unpacked what little things she had in the room next to hers and then the little things in the bathroom, as well.

"Ya done?" Tayuya asked.

Kin nodded., her hands folded together in front of her.

Tayuya got up and put her arm around Kin's shoulders. "Come with me and I'll show you around the building as well."

Kin obliged and the two of them left the room. They had spent the rest of the day with Tayuya showing her the inside of the dormitory and then certain areas in Oto. Once was all shown and done, Tayuya took them to a cafe similar to the one Orochimaru had taken Kin earlier. Tayuya ordered the two of them some tea, all the while looking at Kin whilst she was staring at the table.

"Is that table really that interesting?" Tayuya asked, dryly.

Kin looked up. "Huh?"

Tayuya sighed, "You know, if you're going to survive here, and most importantly survive being my roommate; you've got to drop that fucking personality of yours."

Kin blinked as she has never, in her life, heard a person swear before. Although, there almost one time with Tesai and Tabuuyo with Tetsuyo, but she hadn't really heard them all that well.

"What's wrong with my personality?" She asked.

Tayuya groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, in Oto, everyone here has to be something better than anyone else, otherwise we're all the same as those other dips calling themselves ninjas. In other words, if we act like a bunch of blushing, gushing, pussies with kunais in our hands, everyone will think we're no better than the rest of the fuckers calling themselves shinobis. Oto is supposed to be filled with the baddest of the bad. We're the ones to do the dirty jobs that no one else wants and we take pride in that fact."

Kin's mind was in a torrent of all the things Tayuya had revealed about the standards of Oto. However, doubt came to her mind as she tried to picture herself with that kind of mentality. She looked down at the table once more, confusion and despair on her face. She then felt a severe pain on her cheek as a hand came out and slapped her roughly across the face. Kin held back tears as she rubbed it and she looked on in astonishment across from her at Tayuya who was pulling her hand back.

"W-What was that for?" Kin asked, still holding back the sobbing.

Tayuya sighed. "THAT's what I'm talking about, you silly little shit. You need to hold back those emotions. In other words, you need to toughen up, for fuck's sake. If you aren't careful," She pointed out the window, next to them; "Out there, you're going to get your ass beaten so hard, you'll never sit down on a crapper seat again."

Kin looked at Tayuya in fear, but then she then sighed and closed her eyes and tried to mirror Tayuya's temperament as she gave a frowning, yet emotionless, face.

"Fine." She said, flatly.

Tayuya, for the first time since Kin's met her, gave a soft smile and nodded, "Good. Now keep that up. Don't show anyone what you're feeling. Wait till your alone to do that. One thing that's more important is to never show how you're feeling to our Lord. He will not tolerate anyone being soft, understood?"

Kin nodded, her face still in it's place.

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Kin and her team arrived to the room and quickly situated themselves in a huddled corner of the classroom as other came in. Kin took quick note of those that had came in. Several were from Kumo, as was to be expected from that lot. She saw three groups from Kuni, and only one from Mist. She soon spotted the group from Suna and felt the killing intent sweeping across the room from the bored looking red head.

'That guy...' Kin thought as she shuddered.

"What's that prick doing here." Fumed Zaku. Kin looked in his direction to see someone shee hadn't expected to. Over, across the room, in a corner with his two teammates was Kabuto. Kin had first met Kabuto when she was at the academy. The guy, back then a boy, was always seen following Orochimaru like an obedient dog. The man was almost as intimidating as the Lord of Oto, but more sickening than intimidating. However, most of the people in Oto gave him every respect and courtesy; that is, until his back was turned to them.

"Maybe Orochimaru has him doing something with the Chuunin examinees." Reasoned Kin.

However, their attention toward Kabuto was diverted when a very loud voice came from the entrance of the room.

"I DON'T CARE HOW TOUGH YOU GUYS ALL ARE! I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO! I'LL BEAT YOU ALL IN A HEARTBEAT! BELIEVE IT!"

Kin and her group turned and scowled at the direction of the noise and soon found a group of young genin who were looking positively mortified in the direction of their teammate, a young blond in a orange jumpsuit.

"Oh, no." Groaned Kin. "THAT baka."

Dosu gave her a curious eye. "You know him?"

Kin immediately shook her head.

Zaku put his hands behind his head and smirked. "The brat has guts to be calling out like that. Everyone here's itching to slit someones throat. He just made the top of the list."

Kin didn't think it would matter as it appeared his teammates were all yelling at him for his little stunt. Looking at the boy caused Kin to think back on Tetsuyo, and Kin quickly turned her head away to avoid the thought any further. However, her attention did go back into the same vicinity as it caught the site of aanother familiar person.

"Is that the Uchia boy?" She asked her teammates.

Dosu looked and then nodded. "That's him."

"Orochimaru's next puppet." Zaku said in a low tone.

"He'll be coming to 'tag' him, pretty soon." Remarked Kin. "After all, that's one of the reasons why he's seeing off this village's destruction personally."

Both her teammates nodded. Zaku rubbed the side of his neck where Orochimaru had injected him last night.

"You know, I just had an idea about our little "predicament"." He said, a fiendish smile slowly forming.

Kin groaned, "You and ideas? Bad combination."

Zaku scowled, "Well, if you don't like it, then don't listen."

Kin shrugged. But before Zaku could explain, Dosu got their attention. "What's he up to?"

The two of them turned and looked again and saw Kabuto making his way to the nine genin kids from Kohona. They listened as he brought out a deck of cards to explain to the young group various things. Soon afterwards, a couple of genin had questions about the abilities of the other people in the room. One of them asked Kin's group.

Kabuto gave a wry smile and brought out a card.

"He wouldn't." Zaku seethed.

Dosu didn't say anything and just disappeared in a blur as he rushed his way over and preparred to attack Kabuto. Although he managed to catch Kabuto in his attack, to Kin it looked as though Kabuto had been expecting it and allowed himself to be on the receiving end. Several of the Kohona nin stepped forward to protect Kabuto.

'How little do they know.' Mused Kin.

Suddenly, A Jonin accompanied by several Chuunin came into the room and demanded the fighting to discontinue. Dosu complied as he went back and joined Kin and Zaku. As he was coming back, Kin noticed that the little baka, Naruto was looking over at her.

'What's he looking at?' Thought Kin, annoyed. Then the boy smiled and waived at her. 'Ah, hell no.' She thought and soon, she did something she regretted, she blushed.

Kin immediately turned away before she could be seen by either that boy or her team. Once she had calmed down and felt the effects drain from her face, she slowly turned around as she saw her team was leaving the room. She followed in step. Her thoughts were once again in motion as she tried to remember the last time she had a little slip up like that...

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It has been a month since she had come to Otogakure and it has been a couple of weeks since enrolled into Oto's Academy. During this time, she found out that Tayuya's words had proven true as no one dared revealed their inner thoughts or emotions while being trained. Her time in the Academy had been rough. Friendships were never made as all seemed to just think of everybody as an opponent to defeat or a rival to be annihilated.

During one her usual mornings, Kin walked out to the training grounds and she noticed a young boy crying as he was nursing a wound made by a shuriken that had embedded itself in his calf. Soon, an instructor came by and roughly seized the boy up by his arm and coldly reprimanded the boy for his showing weakness. That said boy was made an example as Kin's class was to use him for targeting practice on the field. Kin grimaced as she and her fellow classmates had to throw several sharp instruments at the boy while he limped painfully to avoid them. The boy was no longer moving at the end of the day.

Putting it all out of her mind before being found out, Kin made her way to her Ninjutsu class. Her instructor, later to become her sensei, Kouroku, began teaching the class the various handseals. The class was ordered to perform, to satisfaction, the handseals made to create fire out of the palm of their hands.

Most of the class excelled in this while the others, including Kin, patiently tried again and again to get it right. Kin was having the most difficulty as her finger continually slipped against the others when making these signs.

Kouroku-sensei walked by each of the students, delivering harsh words to those who continually failed while praising those who got it right by the time he made it to them. By the time he reached Kin, the scarred faced man scowled as he saw her finger slip.

"Tsuchi, if you'r fingers slip one more time I'll break them in half. Now do it again." He said, growling.

Kin frowned as she attempted it again, but this time she made the wrong sign. Kin watched as Kouroku-sensei reached his hands out to hers and that's when she retracted hers and whimpered.

That was the biggest mistake she could make.

Kouroku then made a quick step and was immediately in front of her and he lifted her off the ground by her throat, squeezing tightly.

"Did I just hear what I thought I heard, Tsuchi?" He asked, coldly.

Kin, holding on to Kouroku's hand, shook her head, weakly.

Kouroku gave a smile as he let her drop hard onto the ground. Kin coughed as she massaged her throat.

"You will perform those signs everyday and your fingers better not ever slip again. Otherwise, I'll have to remove them. Am I clear?" He asked.

Kin shakily nodded as she got to her feat. "Hai, kouroku-sensei!"

He nodded and then went back to the other children who were still having problems.

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The first part of the Exam was irritating. Even more so when it was revealed at the last moment to be just another set up to remove those who didn't have faith in their abilities in stealth. To Kin, and her teammates, she was sure; that Kohona's method of intimidation was rather weak. Ibiki, although looking like someone who's seen hell more often than necessary, let most of the class pass and was soon interrupted during his speach by a woman who appeared out of the crashed window in the skimpiest outfit that Kin had ever seen worn by a Kunoichi.

Ok, well, second. there was one that Tayuya wore that was even more provocative, but what this woman, Anko, wore was close.

The woman boasted about the sudden death all the students were supposed to meet as they exited the class room and followed her out to Kohona's limits to a forest surrounded by a gate.

"Welcome to the Forest of Death!" Anko said, proudly. "This'll be the second part of the Chuunin Exam." She then went on to explain about two scrolls that the groups needed, one they'd have the other they'd have to obtain by getting from another team they'd encounter. Once all was said and done, she told everyone they'd have five days to accomplish this and once both scrolls were in a team's possession then they'd have to go to the tower in the middle of the forest, thus ending the second part of the exam.

"Sounds easy enough." Said Dosu.

Kin and Zaku nodded.

Anko then handed out papers for people to sign allowing Kohona to receive no responsibility should death occur.

'We're dead no matter what.' Kin thought, despairingly.

After all the papers had been turned in, several Chuunin led different groups to various gates around the perimeter of the forest. Once the time mark had been established, the Chunnin opened the gate and the second part of the Exam commenced.

To be continued....

A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I had it in mind ofr this to be quite larger but I found myself unprepared for the "Forest of Death" part which has Kin and her team assaulting Sakura, Rock Lee, and the others which plays heavily in my developing Kin's character and the motivations behind the assault itself. The next chapter will come within the next day or so, so please bear with me.

A/N II: Special thanks to those who've reviewed, thus far: sh8d8ow, ApexPredator, bandgsecurityaw, jaredhimself31, mysterman2000, and Angry Mob. And to all of you who've marked me as a favorite or have C2'd me. Kudos!

A/N III: Please read and review, it helps.

Q-n-P


	4. Desperate Meassures

**Chapter Four: Desperate Meassures**

Once Kin and her group had successfully covered a fair amount of ground in the Forest of Death, the group had decided to settle, for a bit, and plan their course of action.

Dosu, of course, being the strategist of the group; simply pointed out that with their combined abilities they'd be easily able to corner any ground that came into a close vicinity. Kin agreed and the two looked to Zaku who was staring off into space.

Kin slapped him roughly upside his head, earning a murderous glare. "Idiot, did you hear what he said?"

Zaku's attention went back to where it once was and a slow grin formulated across his lips.

"Remember that plan I was about to tell you all?"

Dosu and Kin both sighed out of irritation.

"Yeah, what of it?" Kin grumbled.

Zaku motioned with his finger away from them and soon all of them were looking to where Zaku was indicating.

Going at a slow, but reasonable pace, a trio of familiar Kohona Nins came to a perch in a small clearing not far from where the Sound trio were. There was no mistaking two of the members as the blond one was soon making noise and was making rude gestures with his hands to the stoic-looking raven haired boy of the group.

"The brat and the Uchia, huh?" Dosu said.

Zaku nodded, his grin still firmly planted. "It's all too easy..."

Kin's eyes were still on the group. She first had her gaze on Naruto but then quickly went to the Uchia, and then, a little later; settled on the one Kunoichi she wasn't all that familiar with.

As Kin was the only female member of her group and, as it appeared with a lot of Shinobi villages; most three-men cells always seemed to consist of having at least one female member among them. Very rarely were there times where more than one Kunoichi was placed in a group, which sort of affirmed the suspicion that Tayuya had told Kin a long time ago in Oto. Looking at the girl in the group, it was obvious that she wasn't that sure of herself and was constantly wringing her hands as she tried to calm down the argument between her two teammates. Kin knew, had it been her, she would have started throwing Kunai around and someone, by the end of the day would have been close to death.

Kin didn't know why, but seeing this meek little thing, who obviously had put too much emphasis on her appearance and less on her training, was bugging the hell out of her. Kin's eyes grew steadily into a frown as she turned her head back to Zaku.

"What was it that you had in mind with those three?"

Zaku shook his head, "Not all three of them, per-say, but mostly that Uchia kid." He said, pointing.

Dosu looked at Zaku, slowly. "You know that he's a priority for Orichimaru-sama. We were told to let him be unscathed."

Zaku nodded. "Right, but..." He then rubbed his neck, scowling, "That kid is one of the reasons why Orochimaru-sama's attacking Kohona. IF we get rid of him, then there'll be one less reason for Orochimaru to go ahead and use us for his little plan."

Kin's eyes widened and then they sank down into a scowl. "Wow, you really are stupider that you look. You know what Orochimaru would do to us if he'd ever find out, don't you? Hell, he's most likely to 'tag' that boy here in the forest!"

Zaku returned her look back at her. "I didn't say it was a perfect plan. But hey, if you're comfortable with dying and not trying anything to prevent it, then good riddance to you, bitch."

Before Kin could retort, Dosu sighed.

"I'll go along with your plan."

Kin did a double take as she looked at Dosu with wide eyes.

"You're what?"

Dose looked at her. "We might have a shot with this, Kin. That boy is Orochimaru-sama's meal ticket. I don't know about you, but I do want to have more than what I have right now. I want to live."

Kin was beside herself. She knew she wanted to live as well but she felt as if she had resigned herself yesterday and now with this ludicrous, if faint, glimmer of hope tempting her to change her destiny; she really didn't know what to think. She sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to find reason through all this madness as of late.

"Look," Zaku said, "I'm not as stupid to suggest that we'll be safe even if we take the kid out. Hell, Orochimaru might still go ahead with his plan and still use us. I just want to try and say I tried something instead of giving up completely."

Kin nodded, it did make sense, in a way.

"Alright," She sighed, "Let's hear your plan."

However, before Zaku could a word in edgewise, the three of them found themselves being surprised by a group of Rock-Nin jumping down on them from the trees above...

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Sitting with his teammates in a brief respite from their ongoing travel in the Forest of Death, Naruto leaned against the tree he was next to and closed his eyes while Sakura and Sasuke were busy devising up a plan to catch another team by surprise and then would later inform him of their decision. Whilst he was in this period of temporary relaxation, Naruto suddenly found himself remembering a certain tune that came playing over and over in his head.

Naruto scrunched his face up in confusion as the details of the hummed melody came more and more into defined detail. The tune itself was accompanied by an image. He slowly realized he was remembering the day at Ichiraku's when he had stumbled upon that dark haired Sound girl. At first, Naruto had disregarded the whole incident as an odd run-in and nothing more. But, as he scrutinized that same person in his head, there seemed to be more to her than he thought as he could somewhat see a faint glimmer of sadness underneath the hostility she presented to him when he had interrupted her moment of peace.

'What was that all about?' He wondered to himself as he fixated ont hat image of her. 'Why am I thinking of this, anyway? She's the enemy, sort-a...and her song was really all that made me pay attention to her on the first place, right?'

Naruto hadn't the faintest clue as to why he was dwelling so much on this, but, he found, however, that the tune that kept on coming back into his thoughts to be rather comforting.

"Yo, dobe, we're moving out."

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he nodded and soon fell back with his team as they quickly descended into the forest further...

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It had taken Kin and her teammates nearly an hour to finish off the Rock-Nins that had attacked them. However, they came out victorious and had emerged, triumphantly, with a Heaven Scroll that they needed.

"Well, now lets be off to find the Uchia kid." Dosu said as he picked up the scroll and dashed along with his teammates.

It hadn't taken them long as the Leaf's chakra signature was unmistakable due to the time they had encountered them. They soon were coming close and found the group moments later.

Much to their surprise, they found the two male members lying on the ground in a weakened stater with the female member of the group attending to them.

"They look like they've been to hell and back." Remarked Zaku as they could see the worn out state of all three members from the branch they were perched on.

"All the better." Remarked Dosu. He then signaled his teammates to follow him down and as soon as they did they found he immediately signaled them to halt.

"What?!" Dosu grumbled.

Dosu's only visible eye moved around. "They rigged this place."

Sure enough, they could see hair-thin wires attached to several explosive notes and well placed kunais in different areas surrounding the perimeter just ten feet from the cave's entrance.

"Hmph. I guess she does have some skills, doesn't she?" Kin remarked, snidly.

The three maneuvered around the traps easily and soon were maing their way closer when Zaku stumbled and cursed outloud. Before either Dosu or Kin could inquire, above them a large log fell down at a tremendous speed. The group, then, made a mad dash as the resounding crash of the fallen log made its echo all over.

It was then that the pink haired Kunoichi moved outside of the cave, armed with a kunai in her trembling hands.

"W-Whose there?" She stuttered.

Zaku placed his hands on his hips as he grinned, evilly. "Heh, not bad, Kohona. You almost got us there. Now," He strolled over to her, with every step giving a menacing appearance as he did. "Why don't you be a good girl and hand over the Uchia kid, okay?"

The girl firmly, albeit shakingly, held her place.

"What do you want with Sasuke-kun?" She asked.

"We want him dead, of course." Dosu replied. "Hand him over."

Before the girl could respond, a green flash made it's way from up top and crashed into the ground causing the three Sound Nins to jump backwards. Once the dust had settled, a figure made of green spandex, wearing orange leg warmers and having the most impossible set of bushy black eyebrows; made an even weirder smile as he looked at the three.

"Yosh! What have we here? Three enemies disgracing the fires of youth!" He then turned his head over to the pink haired Kunoichi. "Fear not, dear Kakura-chan! I, Lee, shall show these infidels the true power of youth!"

Kin blinked several times as she sweat-dropped.

'What...the...hell..." She thought. She could tell her teammates were of the same opinion as they looked at the strange individual.

"Lee!" The girl seemed to brighten.

Lee gave a 'good-guy' pose and then he turned back to the Sound Nins and he reverted to a taijutsu pose, beckoning one of them to square off against him.

Zaku smirked. "Wow. The freaks here come in all shapes and sizes, don't they? Ok, bowl-cut, let's see what you can do?" Zaku then held out his palms at the Nin.

"Zankuuha!" An aruption of air and sound came forth from the boy's palms and struck Lee heavily in the chest, driving him back and onto his back.

Lee immediately got back to his feet and charged at the three.

Dosu, then, stepped forward and brought his arm up, "I'll end this now." However, before he could do so, a pair of shurikan came flying out and embedded themselves into his arm. Dosu, winced as he brought his arm back and looked heatedly at the person who threw them.

Sakura, armed with three more, scowled. "I'm not as weak as I look and I won't let you touch Sasuke-kun." However, before she could move again, Kin appeared behind her and seized the girl roughly by her hair, twisting it in the process as she pulled it up higher causing Sakura to drop her weapons and grasping Kin's hands.

Kin smirked. "Not 'weak', huh?" She the scoffed, "Look at you. You're THE most disgraceful Kunoichi I've ever seen. You depend on those two," She motioned to the unconscious pair of her team, "And do nothing for yourself or for them. Your overly done face and well made clothes just scream out your incompetence as a Kunoichi even more. How pathetic..."

"Kin, forget her. Break her down and retrieve the Uchia." Zaku said as he blocked a kick from Lee.

Kin nodded, but before she could do so, the girl had forcibly cut her hair from Kin's grasp and she then made a rough kick in her area, causing Kin to jump back.

Kin scowled as she then brought out several pairs of senbon in an effort to retaliate, but even before she coould do that, more Leaf Nins had appeared in the area as a team of three suddenly joined in on the fray.

Before Kin could respond to this turn of events, a blond Kunoichi appeared behind her and then all went black...

To be continued.....

A/N: I'm sorry for this chapter being as short as it is. I'm having trouble with the process of this and it's getting harder and harder to really formulate these scenes properly. Well this one, at least. The next chapter should be better and with more content. Also, I realize that Lee's out of charcter, again another thing I'm having trouble with. *sigh*.

Q-n-P


	5. From Darkness into Light

**Chapter Five: From Darkness into Light**

Kin stood amongst the many hopefuls as they all stood awaiting for their instructors' exam for the passing into Genin. For several weeks, she had trained rigorously, like all the others in Otogakure. Now was the day they'd be given their final test.

They all stood out amongst the taining grounds that led to the Oni PForest just outside the outskirts of Oto, many of the faces of her fellow students were smug, however there were some who seemed a bit nervous, as well. Many of them were looking forward to this particular day and many, such as Kin herself, knew that nothing was going to stand between them and passing on in triumph.

Kouroku-sensei was one of the three instructors in attendance for this exam. The other attendees were some nobles and clan leaders from the village. The person, though, who seemed to be looking forward to this day, more than any other, was Lord Orochimaru. His presence caused a mixture of both determination and anxiety amongst the hopeful youths that were to be tested.

After a few moments, Kouroku spoke.

"Well, today's the day, ain't it? So far, you've survived. Now's the next challenge for you lot." He the extended his arm and indicated toward the forest. "In there you have less than two hours to retrieve the markers that lays in the middle of the forest. Once you've retrieved them, you must make it back here." An evil grin fell upon his scarred face. "You think this'll be a breeze, don't you? Guess again. Me and the other instructors will be sent in shortly to pick you miserable little cess-pools off one by one. We've been going easy on you bunch, and it's been pissing us off. Luckily, Lord Orochimaru has granted us permission to do whatever we want to you, should we come across you once we're in there. In other words, if you fail, you die." He then stood straighter and seemed to be more serious. "Such is a life for any Sound Nin, in Oto. Any mission you partake has the chance of you dying in the end, and most of the missions we send you on will be just that."

Kin, whose eyes were firmly glued to her in structor, could hear around her faint whispering of concern from some of her classmates.

Kouroku-sensei then looked to Lord Orochimaru who was presiding the event off to the side underneath a parasol, surrounded by Kabuto and several others. His malevolent smile remained firmly placed as he nodded to Kouroku.

Kouroku nodded in turn and then turned back to the group of hopefulls as he raised his hand towards the sky and then brought it down abruptly.

"Go!"

Everyone around Kin blurred as both she and them made their mad dash into the forest.

The forest itself was not to be underestimated like the exam itself. Various indigenous plants that vined about were amongst the poisonous in the world. If one was not careful, one could easily find themselves sprawled about on the ground in agony from the many burns that came from having touch said plants. To Kin's quick observation, as she made her way further in, there were at least two of her fellow students who had fell for this. However, has her training had dictated, she merely walked over them in her attempt to make it to the markers as quickly as possible.

Before she partook in this exam, Tatyuya had told her that she had taken something similar though it was in a different environment. However, the objective remained the same. the whole purpose of this exercise was to eliminate those who would become a liability to the village and to harden those who managed to survive.

It was all about survival.

Kin's supreme sense of hearing told her that the instructors had begun to make their way in from the harsh cries that came behind her. She swallowed, her focus still ahead of her as she knew any deviation from her goal to anything else around her would only lead in her either being killed or failing the exam...possibly both. Shaking her head of any lingering doubt, she continued on in.

Several miles later, she had found her marker. It was a yellow paper with the kanji for speed, much to her surprise. She glanced at it for only a moment before putting it into her back puch as she then turned back and made her way back through the entangled area.

When she got a few miles in, she found herself slowing down, her speed reducing, gradually.

'What the hell?' She thought as she tried to pump more chakra into her legs in an effort to correct this turn of event. Nothing seemed to be happening and it was looking like she was being forced to go at a regular running pace. then it struck her as she remembered the kani on her marker.

'Son of a...' The kanji on the marker was for speed. Thus, this could only mean one thing. The markers were designed to limit them even more, making each examinee incapacitated and making the exam that much harder. In a way, it made sense. At the beginning this exam was relatively easy, but this made it more challenging and made her use her skills to more to a degree.

The sounds of approaching footsteps were coming closer to her and Kin bit her lip as she knew she was being hunted by an instructor.

Carefully, Kin reached into her breast pocket and withdrew three senbon needles as she prepared herself for what she knew was about to come.

A snap behind her caused her nerves to snap and she immediately threw her arm out as she turned, the senbon flying out of her hand at a fantastic speed. the person who was there got struck in the throat but Kin didn't wait to see the full effect as she turned back and continued running. Her mind was settled on getting the hell out of the forest as soon as possible. However, her ears still remained attuned to what was going on behind her, should her pursuer come back at her again.

Her body began showing the signs of fatigue as cramps and muscle strains came into place, she bit her bottom lip to the point of it breaking and she could taste the coppery taste of blood. Sweat trickled down her face as the on going sprint she was making was becoming increasingly difficult; her vision also was beginning to blur, slightly.

No new faces came at her as she was nearing the opening to the grounds, her determination thus had risen and a small smile was beginning to form on her bloodied mouth. Then, as soon as she was within a hair's inch of stepping foot outside, she found her sensei, Kouroku, standing between her and the grounds, several shuriken lay between his fingers.

"Not so fast, Tsuchi." He said, his face in a wry grin.

Kin scowled as she still continued on ahead.

Kouroku threw each shuriken in different angles and degrees at her, causing her to stop, momentarily. Then, from the corner of her eye, she could see another instructor making his way towards her.

Little was left for her, as she knew the gap between both the coming instructor and the shuriken was closing in. Kin immediately dived to the ground, her legs buckling as the strain from having ran a great distance and the sudden movement. She then pushed herself even harder as she went forward, her head below the whirling sharpened projectiles. She could hear the grunt from the man behind her as the shuriken had made their impact on the unlucky instructor.

Kin then watched wearily as she continued on forward, taking into account her sensei's movements toward her. She knew in her present, tired, position that she couldn't take the man head on, yet she did see and opportunity to outwit him as she feigned running to the left and then immediately lept up. Grabbing ahold of his shoulder in a swift movement, she projected her self off of him and made a flip in mid air, nimbly landing on the ground and then returning to her mad sprint as she was closing in towards the finish line.

Her movements had turned to a staggering pace as she, then stumbled her way and finally collapsed in exhaustion in the area where she was to finish.

She was on all fours, her body leaning over her forearms as her face was close to the surface of the ground as she took in heaps of air.

Her sensei approached her slowly, his arms crossed.

"Congratulations, Tsuchi. You've passed." He said, mildly.

Kin didn't respond as her body begged her to take in as much air as possible. Her body seemed to contort and her chest heaved in and out.

That day, only fifteen out of the fifty participants had passed Oto's passing exam.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kin awoke with her head throbbing, painfully. Her eyes opening and taking in the dimly lit light of where ever she was at made it more excruciating. Despite the overwhelming pain, she tried to focus in on her surrounding and was surprised, as things came into focus, to see that she was no longer in the Forest of Death.

In a small, barely lit room, she could see a bunk bed and a small desk. Zaku was occupying the bed, his breathing shallow. Dosu, sitting at the desk, observing his arm, turned to her as she moved.

"Finally awake, huh?" It was more of a statement on his part than an actual question.

Kin nodded as she held a hand to her throbbing head. She quickly took notice that both Zaku and Dosu had their arms in slings. Which only meant one thing.

"We failed, didn't we?" She stated.

Dosu turned away from her as he held a screw driver in his other hand as he was making adjustments to the instrument on his other arm.

"The Uchiha kid still lives, yes."

Kin nodded, gravely. She then focused on their surrounding more closely. "Where are we?"

"Inside the tower. I managed to drag the both of you here after we the little debacle with those damn Leaf Nins. Zaku broke his arm from that spandex wearing freak. My arm also got roughed up due to some fat kid that turned into a rolling wrecking ball."

Kin sat herself in a cross-legged postion as she continued to hold her head in her hand, rubbing her temples gently. Her head seemed to occupy her thoughts as she knew, once over, she would have to face the dire emotions of their fate once more.

"What happens now?" She asked.

"Tomorrow they'll be announcing the next stage of the Exam. apparently, other than us, six other teams had managed to survive the forest, much to the proctors disgust, apparently."

Kin chuckled, ruefully. "This was nothing compared to the Oni Forest we had to go through."

Dosu returned with his own chuckle as he nodded.

The two of them didn't say anything more as Kin concentrated on her head and Dosu on his injured arm. Soon, Zaku awakened, yet he was in no mood to talk as it seemed he was in a fit of despair over them not having accomplished their objective of taking out Sasuke Uchiha.

Soon, the day drifted on and night came. While the two males in her group slept, Kin stayed awake in her bed as she thought about what was to come next. Uncertainty came into her in vast amounts as she contemplated how much time she exactly had on this earth. She curled herself into a ball as her hands cupped the sides of her head as she tried to find some sort of peaceful resolve to all of this. One flickering thought gave her some solace. If by some chance she could survive the rest of the exam, that'd be enough for her. Proving her worth of being an exemplary Kunoichi would be the best way she'd like to leave her life.

The next day came and all surviving participants made their way to an opened arena where, above them, Konoha's Hokage and other officials towered over them and awaited all to be gathered.

Once all were there, the Hokage made a speech as to the real purpose of the Chuunin Exams as means to bridge the gap that was between foreign nations and to form a bond, or friendship, through out these tests.

Kikn could only smirk at that thought. Knowing what was in store for this village, she found it oddly comforting as to the irony of it all.

A new proctor came forth, one who seemed to be lingering on death's door as he continually made grisly coughs. He announced that there'd be preliminary matches to eliminate most of the people in the room in the on-on-one matches that were to take place.

"If there's anyone here who wishes to quit, now'd be the time." He said, coughing immediatly afterwards.

"I quit. I'm exhausted and have no further needs to continue." Said a familiar voice.

Kin arched her head forward and quickly identified the person who spoke to be Kabuto.

"So be it. You may leave." The proctor said.

Kabuto nodded and turned to his teammates, whispering something incoherent before turning around and leaving the area.

'So that's it.' Kin thought. 'It's all going to happen soon.' she turned her head back as she quickly donned her mask., knowing what she was feeling would quickly betray her appearance.

A billboard above came to life as a digital set of names came into play and then firmly settled on the first two combatants who would have the first go.

Kin followed her teammates to the stands above while the first two combatants remained on the floor. Looking to her teammates, it appeared to Kin that she wasn't the only one to have noticed and felt the despair upon Kabuto's quitting. Though neither of them spoke openly, she could tell that her inner feelings mirrored theirs as well.

The firstg match up was with the Uchiha kid and a member of Kabuto's team. Kin could tell that the boy was still feeling the after effects of having been 'tagged' by Orochimaru. A insignificant hope in her wished that he would be killed here and now so that their efforts from yesterday could be vindicated. However, it didn't happen, much as she bitterly figured. The bite mark from their Lord caused the boy to boost in strength and chakra as he quickly dominated the match and defeated his opponent. Kin could hear Zaku grunting out of disappointment.

After Sasuke had won, he then collapsed and then was retrieved by a masked Jonin who Kin suspected was probably the boy's sensei.

The next matches came and went. It all seemed to go by rather quickly and then the next matches lit up.

ABURAME SHINO VS. ABUMI ZAKU

Kin glanced over to her teammate whose spirits seemed to perk up.

"Alright, time to kick some ass!" He then leaped over the side of the railing as he waited for his opponent.

Kin observed to the otherside of the arena as a boy with dark hair and sun glasses quietly made his way to the stairs and made his way down to the floor. From first glance, there wasn't really much Kin could decipher from his appearance. The collar of his jacket made it impossible to make out any kind of facial movement and the way he held himself led a lot to speculation as to what his abilities were.

Zaku seemed confident. Zaku was always confident. To Kin, that was his most annoying trademark as he never really took anything into consideration as he felt he was above everything and anyone. It reminded her of their first meeting...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

After the exam, posts were made on the bulletin board outside in the couryard of the Academy for team listings. Many of those who passed quickly came up to oit as their fingers scrolled down to find their names and then moved off to the left and right of their names to see who they were paired off with. None of the senseis for the groups were posted as they made a habit of just coming up and introducing themselves.

Kin waited till teh corwd died out before coming up to the bulletin board herself to find out who she was partnered with.

She soon found herself and moved her hand to the left to find the name Abumi Zaku and then to the right to find Kinuta Dosu.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember images or instances to go with those two names, only to come up short.

"Hey, is there a Tsuchi Kin, anywhere around here?" A loud voice called out.

Kin turned her head to stare at a boy, roughly her height, with spiky black hair and his arms wrapped in bandages.

She sighed and then replied. "Who wants to know?"

The boy looked at her, chuckled as he looked down, and then made a slow approach.

"Heh, a girl. Oh well, it could be worse. They could have paired me off with some freak like Sakon." He then extended his hand towards her. "I'm Zaku, the best there is."

Kin raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the boisterous imp. However, she just smirked as she took his hand in hers, squeezing as tightly as she could muster. "I must have done something wrong to paired off with you. I'm Kin."

"Quite a grip you got there, Kin." He then let go of her hand as he put his hands in his pockets. He looked around, sighing. "Have you seen this "Dosu" we're supposed to be paired with?"

Kin shook her head just as a hunched figure, wrapped almost entirely out of bandages, approached them.

"I take it you two are my teammates." He said, disconcerted.

Zaku eyed him suspiciously. "You Dosu?"

The boy nodded.

Zaku then did the exact same thing with Dosu as he did with Kin, declaring himself as 'the best there is'.

Kin could only sigh. She wished she had better luck. She was now paired with a loud mouth and a complete introvert. Dosu didn't make any sort of welcoming gestures to her, only nodding when she introduced herself. The three, then, just stood there as Zaku prattled on about his many 'accomplishments' and 'feats'. Soon, they were joined by an all too familiar sensei.

Kouroku came up to the group, shaking his head upon site of them.

"Wonders never fail to cease. I'm babysitting three of the most back-watered bunch of shinobi ever."

Zaku scowled at that comment while Kin could only smirk. She knew Kouroku's mannerism well and knew it was his way of complementing, though he'd never admit to such a thing.

Introductions were short and Kouroku's introduction was even shorter. Later on, they were tasked with a mission as opposed to a test for their sensei to determine their skills and abilities to work as a team. He stated, quite often, that if any of them screwed up the objective, he would kill them on the spot. He could care less how ell they operated just as long as they got the job done and didn't arise any suspicion.

The missions were on going, taxing atr some points but none the less, frequent. Through out the three weeks they did these, the three of them soon found a way to work together. They squabbled at first, but, after Kouroku-sensei threatened to rip out their tongues, should he hear anymore; they quickly diverted from that. Their missions came and went, none of them ended in failure. Each night, Kin would come back to hers and Tayuya's apartment exhausted.

Tayuya was around less and less as her team, The Sound Four, were sent on secret missions on the behest of Orochimaru. Although Kin would never admit it to her face, she missed the times she had with Tayuya as they seemed to have bonded, in a weird way.

Kin sighed. She knew it wasn't much of a friendship, if you would even call it that. She expected her relationship with her new teammates to be an even more strained version of that.

However, there were times that she had enjoyed herself. Zaku's bizarre image of himself seemed to be uplifting in the most tiring times and Dosu's calm, yet stoic, presence seemed to hold them all together when it seemed they'd be at a breaking point.

Kin wondered how long such a thing was to last....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kin's attention came back to the match as she heard Zaku cry out in anger and anguish when his right arm exploded.

Apparently, his opponent had caused the chakra build up in his arm to implode and thus disable him and cause Zaku to incapacitate himself. Thus, Zaku lost his match.

Kin sighed a sshe watched the Med Nins gather him up and take him out of the arena.

"Once again, he's all talk." Dosu said, absent-mindedly.

Kin looked at him and shrugged. "Were you expecting something different? He WAS injured."

Dosu shrugged.

Kin turned her attention back to the board as the next contendants were announced. To her surprise, she found herself interested as the next to players came to the field.

The blond haired loud mouth, Naruto, was being squared off against some boy who had a puppy on top of his head. At first, she questioned herself as to why this had aroused her curiosity, but she quickly resigned herself as her concentration came quickly to the match at hand.

She watched as the boy used a henge to confuse and then attack his opponent by biting him on the arm, no less. An unknown smile crept its way across her lips as she found the whole thing surprisingly amusing. she then watched with unaltered focus as the dog boy then transformed his dog into another version of himself and the two of them went after the orange-clad boy.

Watching the beating Naruto was receiving, Kin's fingers, unconciously, dug into the banister as she continued watching.

'Come on, baka. Get up, fight back!' She found herself thinking.

Things began to turn around as the boy turned himself into a version of the two, thus confusing his enemies.

Kin smirked as she realized what the boy was planning. It was smart and clever. The other boy had no clue what was in store for him and his mutt as he then punched the other person only for it to appear to look that he had hit his dog.

Kin held back a chuckle as she saw the terror in the dog boy's eyes as he immediately went after the other version of himself, only to get the same results. Then, as she had suspected, Naruto revealed himself as he made a roundhouse kick and promptly brought an end to the match.

A wide grin came forth to Kin's face.

Unbeknownst to her, Dosu was watching her from the corner of his eye, although he didn't make any comment.

Naruto made his little victory lap as he laughed, wholeheartedly, and made waves to people.

To Kin's surprise, he stopped upon sight of her and made an even more enthusiastic wave at her, causing her to smile once again. Then, Kin suddenly recalled what she was doing and she quickly reverted to her dismissive mask as the boy went back up the stairs to his team.

"It was a good match. He's clever."

Kin turned, in surprise, to her usually quiet teammate. She nodded.

"The baka actually has some talent."

Dosu didn't say anything else as he indicated to the board, signifying that it was now Kin's turn to compete.

TSUCHI KIN VS. NARA SHIKAMARU

Kin took a deep breath before leaping over the balcony and into the arena. Upon landing, she watched as a disgruntled and rather bored boy with a pineapple shaped hair cut walked slowly to meet her. Kin immediately recognized him as one of the many that had came and did battle with her and her team in the Forest of Death.

The proctor waited until both were in postion before commencing the match.

Kin got into position, senbon in hand. She felt a certain sense of anger and hostility towards this person as he was among the many that had ruined their plan to save themselves.

The boy too got into position as he had his hands in front of him in a sign.

"Shadow Possession Technique!" He called out.

Kin watched as a line from his shadow darted directly out to her. Kin immediately went into a sprint as she sent her senbon flying out at the boy.

The boy quickly leapt to avoid being punctured and his technique was interrupted.

Kin grinned. All she had to do was not give him the opportunity to use that jutsu and then she'd be able to corner him. With this in mind, Kin quickly sent more senbon at the boy as she darted from the left and the right coming closer and closer to him.

The boy seemed to grunt out of annoyance having to jump and dart around in an effort to not get hit.

"Throwing senbon? Is that all you're really good at?" He asked.

Kin's eye twitched in annoyance. "No, not at all." Kin then reached into the pouch behind her and brought out her "special" senbon.

Quickly converging upon the boy, just as he was getting back into a stance to use his jutsu again; Kin threw her senbon and the boy ducked as they pierced the wall behind him.

"This is getting quite troublesome, you-" He was stopped in mid sentence and Kin smirked. The senbon she had sent at him was meant to miss purposefully as the bells attached to strings on the senbon rang and sent out a paralyzing genjutsu that made all her victims break down and become incapacitated.

Kin watched with a triumphant look as the boy keeled over and began to sweat.

"Never underestimate me, Konoha. Even with senbon, looks can be deceiving."

The boy nodded as he took out a kunai and then thrust it into his arm. Blood seeped out as he was regaining his composure.

Kin knew she should end this quickly before he got a second wind and use his attack on her. Kin brought ou the shurikan from her thigh pocket and she quickly ascended onto him.

The boy, then, without looking up, made his hand sign.

Kin saw it at the last moment and then looked immediately to the ground. She feigned left and then went right but then, he body stopped.

"Possession, successful." The boy stated, his eyes set on Kin and a smirk on his face.

"Dammit." Kin said as her eyes looked down at the line of shadow traveling from him to her.

The boy then got up and walked towards her and she responded the same. Kin could only watch in sheer terror as she knew he had utter control of her movements.

The boy, once in arm's length of her, observed her all over and finally reached his hand into his side pocket and she did the same with hers. He brought his hand out only to have nothing in his. However, Kin had her paralyzing tipped senbon in hers. The boy then made a jerk of his hand and thumped his chest with his hand. Kin quickly closed her eyes as her hand mimicked his, all then turned to black like before...  
When Kin awakened she was lying in a hospital bed with her chest bandaged. She sighed as she felt the stinging after effect that her paralyzing senbon produced. Lying her head back down, she wondered how much time had passed and if Dosu had been successful in his match. Her thoughts were diverted when a knock came to the door of her room.

Knowing that both Zaku and Dosu never knocked, she was alittle surprised but she quickly answered. "Yes?"

The door opened and much to her surprise her "guest" was someone entirely unexpected.

A blond with blue eyes and an orange jumpsuit, his hands in his pockets, closed the door behind him as he came in and stopped five feet away from her bed.

Kin blinked at him. Her mind crammed with all kinds of answers as to why this person would visit her. The boy had a look that went from seriousness to confusion.

"What do you want?" Kin asked.

Naruto turned away and scratched the back of his head. "My teammates tell me that while i was passed out, you and your team tried to kill Sasuke and hurt Sakura." He then looked back to her as if hoping she could deny what he had said.

Kin looked away, shrugged. "Yeah, so we did. What of it?"

Naruto's face frowned. "I really don't get you, you know. It's like you're two people in one."

Kin looked back at him in surprise. Had he...? She then frowned and crossed her arms. "What do you mean by that?"

Naruto crossed his arms as well. "You try to hide yourself pretty well. Back at the Ichiraku's, you seemed happy for a moment.. You were singing that awesome song."

"I was humming!" Kin retorted, her face a little redder now.

Naruto continued, unaware of the color he had brought to her face. "Afterwards, you acted like a total bitch to me. Then, just after I beat Kiba, you smiled at me. What the hell's your deal?"

Kin looked away. Her mask was failing her and she couldn't believe it. And why with this guy of all people? She casted her head thinking wildly and then looked up again as she saw he was now sitting in the chair next to the bed. His head was bent down low close to her, his face looking at her.

Kin's face erupted into a different shade of color. Never having been in such close contact with somebody before.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, confused.

Kin blinked once more, her face now a mixture of embarrassment and perplexity.

Naruto sighed and got up after she hadn't answered him. "I'm not going to forgive you for attacking my team like that. But..."

"But what?" She asked.

Naruto shrugged and then left the room with Kin watching him at every step until the door had closed.

'What...the..hell, was that?'

To be continued....

A/N: I'll admit, the last chapter was a bomb and at some point in time I'll go back and fix it, but, for now; I'm completely satisfied for how it effects this one. Next chapter in a couple of days, so stay tuned.

Q-n-P


	6. The Mask Begins to Crack

**Chapter Six: The Mask begins to Crack**

She had been in the hospital for no more than a couple of days for healing and observation, yet to Kin it had felt much longer.

Her thoughts had left her feeling that time had no end, that mere seconds stretched out into hours.

She had but one thought.

'I have nothing left.'

She had found out later upon her release that Dosu didn't have much luck and was also eliminated from the preliminaries. Thus, the Sound trio were out of the competition. Kin knew, now, that it was only a matter of time till her whole world, her whole life, was going to come to an abrupt end, shortly.

Having lost the preliminaries and also been eliminated from the Chuunin Exams, Konoha had given them the option to return to their village, yet, as Kin gravely knew; that wasn't an option she and her team had.

Kouroku had paid them a visit shortly after Kin and been released from the hospital, yet there were no encouraging words from him for their failure to last out the exams as he was single-mindedly invested in their prime objective, the destruction of Konoha. Kin was certain that he knew more then what he was letting on, on both their roles and also the time and place when the siege was to occur. Yet, as cryptic as always, he refrained from giving them any detail and simply just told them to wait it out for the month that was to follow till the actual matches for the exams.

He had given them that much, at least. Kin knew, what ever Orochimaru and her sensei had in mind, it would take place in one month.

Thus, the Sound trio were given this bit of freedom before surely their world would crumble around them.

Dosu and Zaku had isolated themselves and set out to do whatever they felt like doing, short of bringing about attention, of course. Kin, however, felt numb and had no ideas on how to spend the remainder of her time that she had left. after spending most of the afternoon moping about their room at the Inn, she decided to set out and explore Konoha.

Exploring the village hidden in the leaves, Kin wondered silently to herself what her life may have been should she have been sold off here rather than Otogakure. One side of her, the side that had been brought up in Oto sneered at the sights and sounds of the happy atmosphere that the village had, while the other, the one she hid away from the world; found the place to be lively and enchanting as it reflected the memories she had when she was a young girl. That thought, accompanied, by the memories sunk her into an even greater depression the more she dwelled on it as it pained her when realizing that one of the things she wanted most would never come to realization. Her parents murder would go unpunished and she would never again see the home she so longed to see again.

Walking through one of the streets and rounding about to a pound-like area, Kin found herself stopping and hiding as she saw an all too familiar person.

The boy, Naruto, the one, the only one, who had visited her in the hospital; was being instructed by a man with sunglasses on practicing chakra control on the water's surface, and seemed to be struggling.

Kin, who had been very adept on chakra control, found herself oddly amused by the spectacle as the boy continued to fall into the water's surface, much to the annoyance of his instructor.

The scene was interrupted as the instructor found a man with long white hair giggling, perversely, while he looked through the cracks of the wooden barrier of the women's hot springs.

Kin scowled and she thought about bringing out her senbon to permenately blind the man, when the instructor approached him and outwardly called him out for what he was doing.

After a few exchangments of words, the white haired man suddenly brought forth a gigantic toad that swung its toungue and knocked the instructor clear over head and off into the distance.

Kin blinked at this sight. The only person she knew who could summon was Lord Orochimaru. However, she had heard the rumors that he had been apart of an infamous group known as the Sannin and the other two members of his group could summon giant creatures as well. Thinking on this, Kin decided that this man was most likely one of those other two.

Naruto, who had watched the entire thing, approached the sannin and began demanding, profusely, that the old man should train him, seeing as how he, literally, threw out his previous instructor.

The old man didn't seem all that interested and was more inclind to watch more through the cracks whilst Naruto huffed and started outwardly insulting the man on his pervertedness.

Kin grinned as she could see that some of Naruto's comments had somehow wounded the man's pride as he gave a very boisterous introduction to himself.

Naruto didn't seem all that impressed. Yet his stubbornness went to greater lengths as he demanded once more for the tutalage from the Toad Sannin.

Again he was denied and this time he performed a jutsu that Kin couldn't hear. Then, in a puff of smoke, he reappeared as a fully naked female version of himself in pigtails.

Kin shook her head in disgust whilst she heard the old man 'whooping' in appreciation. However, this act still failed to get the man to take Naruto on as a student.

Naruto, once again, attacked at the man's pride and, this time, was successful in bringing the perverted man around to teaching him something.

"Alright! Alright! Just shut up, already!" He said, his hands pressing against his ears.

Naruto smirked in triumph.

"But before we being, can you tell your girlfriend over there to come out and introduce herself. I don't teach with eavesdroppers nearby." He pointed toward Kin's direction.

Kin paled as Naruto looked over. Not wanting to expose herself, Kin made a quick dash and left the vicinity.

Through out the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening, Kin had left herself staying at the Inn. She had hoped to find her teammates there when she got back but they weren't. She had no idea what they had planned with their remaining days here in Konoha, but she had hoped that she could talk with them, to an extent, at least.

As the midnight's hour drew in, Kin decided to go to the roof to see the array of stars that would blanket the night's sky. She remembered fondly that this was her secret refuge to escape all the pains in her life. Whether it was being a captive, being a slave, or enduring the pains that came with being trained in Oto; she knew that the night's sky would never bring her and more pain or problems than she already had. That and, in its quiet tranquility, she could find herself getting lost whenever she gazed up at them. she often took joy in the hopes of finding several shooting stars.

Kin had made it to the roof and she slumped down and then laid her back against the tiling of the roof as she propped her head up with her laid back arms.

She sighed as a faint smile appeared on her face.

'If only this night could last until I die, then I'd be content in my passing.'

Kin breathed in and out as her eyes surveyed the starry landscape above. Each light seemed to hold something special, in her mind. She remembered that, when she was in the slave caravan, she had used to make up names for the odd combination of stars that she saw. Never once having studied astrology, she still found it relaxing and therapeutic in some weird way as it helped ease her worried thoughts. Tonight was no exception as she made up silly names in her head for certain stars that she looked at.

Kin closed her eyes and smiled, contently. She then began humming her mother's song to strengthn the mood as she found her mind was becoming less and less troubled and the weight on it, from her prior thoughts, were being lifted.

"What are you doing up here?"

Kin's eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Naruto leaning over looking at her.

Kin got to her feet adn she scowled menacingly at him. "Don't ever sneak up on me like that again." she seethed.

Naruto scowled in return. "You're one to talk, you were spying on me today."

Kin's eyes fluttered as her teeth clenched. for just a moment she was trying to think of something utterly nasty to say. But then, she found the energy escape her and her mouth closed as a sigh let out.

"You're right."

Naruto starred at her as she collapsed to the ground.

Kin went back to looking at the sky as she found herself devoid of any energy.

To her surprise, Naruto sat down beside her. His eyes still set upon her.

Kin looked at him from the corner of her eye before looking away again.

"Nice night, huh?"

Kin turned back to him and stared for a moment before nodding and turning away once more.

"I used to do this a lot. Whenever I felt the world was against me, or if I was having the worst day ever, I'd come out and look at the stars. Because the stars never seemed to judge me like some other people did."

Kin wrapped her arms around her as she thought about what he said as it confused her. Was he trying to relate to her? How could he? He had no idea what was going to happen to her or his village. for that matter.

"Why do you say all this?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She reluctantly turned to look at him and found his face was looking at her.

"You seem to be in pain, no matter how hard you try to disguise it or try to deny it, I can see it." He said. "I can see it, because I've been there myself."

Kin, inwardly laughed at this. How could he possibly know why she was hurting. Yet, at the same time, gazing into his deep blue orbs; she wondered just how much pain he's experienced to be able to see that she was suffering.

Naruto turned his head away and looked up at the night's sky and Kin did likewise.

Neither of them spoke as they continued to look up. The night's sky twinkled and seemed to shine even brighter than Kin had ever seen it done before.

"If I asked you what's troubling you, would you tell me?" He asked suddenly, causing Kin to jump a little.

Kin thought for a moment and then sighed. "Why are you so eager to know? We're enemies, you and I. We're from opposing villages, hell, my team attacked yours in the Forest of Death, what makes you want to play the role of patron saint to me?"

Naruto scowled at her for that comment but looked away once more.

Kin sighed. She...she did want to talk to someone about this, but...but she knew that her life would be forfeited much quicker should she tell anyone about Orochimaru's plans to destroy the village. If she was going to talk about this, she had better be discreet.

"My whole life has been one nightmare after another. Now, I fear that due to losing these rounds that my sensei's going to have me and my team all killed for our faliure."

Naruto seemed to be listening intently. He nodded. "What are you going to do about it?"

Kin sighed as she lay her head back down against the tiling of the roof. "There really isn't much I can do. If I disobey and not give myself willingly, I'll be killed much quicker because of it."

Naruto shook his head, "There's always a way out. You should never allow anyone to choose your path or dictate the way you should live."

Kin, then, laughed. "That's easier said than done."

Naruto shook his head, "No, it isn't. If you want to live, then by all means, fight for it."

Kin looked at him, wondering how someone whose probably have gotten the love and devotion from nearly everyone around him, if not the entire village; talk to her like he the expert on such a subject.

Naruto then got up and stretched and looked down at Kin with a grin. "You know, the more time you live out your life, the less anyone has control over it. Being who you are, humming that great song of your, that's something you've prevented them from ever taking away, am I right?"

Kin's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. She nodded slowly.

"Well then," Naruto said as he crossed his arms. "If you can do that, I'm sure you'll be able to find away to live."

Kin turned away, not trusting what her doubts were telling her. "I...I guess I can try." she said, somberly.

Naruto nodded. "I can help you, if you like. Hey, why don't you meet me at Ichiraku's for lunch, there we can talk some more."

Kin sighed. "I'll join you for lunch but if we're going to talk, it'll have to be some place not in the public. If anyone of team members catch me talking to you, it's most likely that I'll..."

Naruto held up a hand, prompting her to stop. "Alright. But I'll see you tomorrow at Ichiraku's, ok?"

Kin nodded.

Naruto nodded back before jumping off the roof and then jumping to the others ones as he made his way out.

Kin watched him leave and a bemused smile came upon her face.

'What a strange guy.'

To be continued......

A/N: I apologize for the length and for Naruto's slight OOCness in this chapter. I'm still gathering up ideas for how I want this to flow and right now, in my note taking, I'm debating about Tayuya's appearance and the extent of it. One of the hardest things in this is to make a virtually 2-D character like Kin and make her human with a twisted past and then make her obviously simpatico with Naruto. I felt this chapter showed a moment to where the to of them could bee seen as a likely couple. I am, half tempted, to change this to a friendship rather than a romance, but we'll see how it plays out in the chapters to come.

Q-n-P


	7. Kin's Decision

**Chapter Seven: Kin's Decision**

After that evening on the rooftop, Kin and Naruto had been spending their lunches together at Naruto's favorite ramen stand. At first, Kin was reluctant about going. She couldn't really see how anything positive could come from her spending her precious last days with this odd boy. Yet, it all turned around as she found each and every lunch with him somewhat uplifting.

Naruto seemed to be excited yet hesitant for his upcoming match against the Hyuuga prodigy.

Kin knew all about the Hyuuga's from her studies on various enemies from her training in Oto. Yet, she had never heard anyone, especially one from their village, talk about them with such vehemence as Naruto was doing right now. He went on and on, on how he couldn't stand this one named Neji and how he had treated his cousin, Hinata, in a previous battle.

Kin had tried to debate with that this was the way things were in battle, whether it be friend, foe, or relative.

Naruto had scowled at that and gave her a full description of the battle and how Neji had practically beaten his cousin to the point of death.

Kin could not understand why he was so worked up about this. From what she could tell, Naruto didn't really know either of them really well for them to be considered friends, or teammates for that matter. Yet here he was about to avenge someone and doing it with an air of absolute conviction. Kin could only shake her head in amusement as Naruto continued on his rant about all the things he was planning on doing to the Hyuuga prodigy.

Other than this, Naruto gave her a somewhat brief account of his training under the Sennin whom he had affectionately called "Ero-Sennin". It seems, during their training, Naruto had to constantly pull the man back from his perverted antics to focus on Naruto's training.

After these, and some other topics, the point of conversation came back to Kin as, she could tell; Naruto was trying to dig as much as he could to unearth the problems Kin was facing.

Kin had to remind him several times that this type of conversation was best left in private as she was nervous to talk around when so many potential people from her group, Orochimaru's, and the other soon-to-be-invading forces; might be in ear's reach.

Much to her relief, Naruto was patient, but still remained stubborn as ever.

Kin really couldn't see what Naruto could really do for her predicament. She also wasn't sure as how to tell him without revealing too much and having either her team or Lord Orochimaru know.

She WANTED to tell him. Yet, how was the reason she was feeling so reluctant upon talking to him about it or even hinting about her situation. In the end, during these times she either put it off or she told him that she wasn't quite ready to tell him. that, in and of itself, was true; mostly.

The final matches of the Chuunin Exams was tomorrow and Kin knew that it was only a matter of time before her life was sealed. In her head she begged herself to come up with the courage to tell Naruto about her situation as he may be last resort in surviving.

However, In the morning, Kin received a note from Kouroku-sensei that erased all her hopeful aspirations. He had set the date, tomorrow in the early afternoon, as the time both she and her team would have to come and meet with Lord Orochimaru for their "special" assignment.

She was going to die. All hopeful aspirations she had tried to cling to had now left her.

Kin held Kouroku's note in her hand, in her team's Inn room, as she slumped down to the floor of the bathroom as her whole body trembled. Tears cascaded down her face and she whimpered softly. As her breathing had become ragged, she slowly picked herself up off the floor and casually dabbed at her eyes with her hands, sniffling as she tried to take steady breaths.

Kin looked at herself in the mirror in a moment of silent reflection.

The door to the room opened and she heard the shuffling of feet.

"Yo, Kin, ya in here?" Zaku called from the room.

Kin checked herself to make sure all physical traces of her saddened state were gone before she emerged from the bathroom. When she came out, she found Zaku lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. His head turned as he saw her.

"Did ya get the note sensei sent?" He asked.

Kin nodded, holding up the scrunched up note in her hand.

Zaku produced a similar one. "Sucks, don't it?"

Kin shrugged as she sat down next to him. "We knew it was coming, right?"

Zaku didn't say anything more as he continued to gape at the ceiling.

"Have you seen Dosu, lately?" She asked.

Zaku shook his head.

Kin sighed as she began to get up.

"Are you ok with all this?" He asked.

Kin stopped in motion and peered down at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Zaku looked up at her. "You know, with dying and all."

For a moment, Kin observed him. Then she sighed.

"I really don't see any choice in the matter, do you?"

Zaku shrugged. "It's a pain in the ass, that's for sure. I'm going to miss out on all the killings and I won't be able to get back at the green spandex-wearing bastard that messed up my arm or the bug freak who blew both of them up." He gestured raising his two bandaged arms up in the air.

Kin sighed, thinking about all the times she had spent with Tayuya, the fun trips she took with Zaku and Dosu, and...the lunches with Naruto.

"I know what you mean." She said, somberly. Kin's thoughts went back to Naruto as she glanced at the analog clock in the room. She sighed bitterly as she realized she was going to be late meeting him for their usual, and this time last; lunch together.

She quietly excused herself, receiving a grunt from Zaku, and then left the room and headed her way down, out, and into the streets of Konoha.

She found Naruto waiting for her at Ichiraku's as usual. The boy was slowly intaking some ramen and his face looked deep in concentration about something.

Kin sat herself on the stool next to him and she ordered her meal from the man behind the counter, thus announcing her arrival and causing Naruto to turn around and see her.

"You're here." He said, slurping up the remainder of his fourth helping.

Kin nodded, trying hard not to look at him as she was afraid her composer would be lost and she would end up revealing too much of herself.

For the time, neither spoke but just sat there and basked in the silence.

"Are you ready for your match tomorrow?" She asked, twiddling the chop sticks in her hands.

Naruto shrugged. "I think I am. I still don't know how I'm going to do it, yet."

Kin nodded.

Again, silence graced them but it didn't last as long as before. Naruto accepted his new helping and Kin accepted her first, both plew against the bowls to lift up the steam from their ramen.

"You know," Naruto began, while Kin lifted her noodles up, "I think I may have a solution to your "problem"."

Kin's eyes went wide and she nearly dropped the contents in her mouth back out into the bowl. She quickly chewed and swallowed, hastily; and then looked around quickly before turning back to Naruto and scowling deeply.

"Baka!" She whispered, "I told you that we wouldn't talk about "that" out here in the open!"

Naruto, at first jumped, when he saw the expression on her face, but he went back to his usual casual manner as he grinned. "Let me just say this, then. After lunch, why don't you come with me to my favorite training ground and I'll show you something."

Kin observed him cautiously for a moment and then suspiciously. However, in the end she nodded and the two said nothing more as they continued their meals in peace.

Later on, Naruto led her through the busy street and away to a path that took them to a clearing where there were three wooden posts. Kin watched as Naruto took a moment and looked at these posts in reverence before he turned around and looked at her.

"Well, what are we doing here?" She asked.

Naruto smirked as he then formed a hand sign. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" He shouted and then, next to him, five clones appeared into existence.

Kin blinked and her brow furrowed in confusion. Then, her eyes slightly widened as she realized this was what Naruto had used during his match with the dog boy. These clones were shadow clones but they were physical and could operate independently if given the choice.

"This is what I wanted to show you, as I think it may help." Naruto said.

Kin, at first, couldn't grasp as to what he meant. But then it came to her.

"You mean...to use a clone in my place?"

Naruto nodded.

Kin thought about it for a moment before her eyes looked down and she began rubbing her arm with her other hand. "I don't think it'll work."

Naruto scowled as he, and his clones, all crossed their arms in front of their chests. "Why not?" They all asked in unison.

Kin looked back up. "Because someone's sure to notice it's a clone and not me."

Naruto sighed and he then began to tell her of all the times he used clones and how easily he confused and manipulated even the most skilled ninja from his village and a missing one from another. After he had finished, he looked expectantly at her.

Kin, after listening to Naruto's reasons about how his skill worked in fooling others, tried to sustain the lingering doubt within her and tried to convey a face of certainty about how this might work. After giving in, Naruto gave her a few exercises to do before having her utilize her chakra to create a Kage Bushin. All the while they did this, Kin was still keeping her sense open to detect if they were being watched by anyone.

The two of them had finished just by the time evening was approaching and by then Kin had managed to successfully create three Kage Bushins. Naruto offered to escort her back to her Inn, which Kin promptly refused. Instead he took her as far as the hallfway point and from there the two of them stopped.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked away. "Hey, uh, I have a question."

Kin blinked. "Yeah?"

Naruto looked down. "Are you coming to the matches tomorrow?"

Kin looked at him, wondering why he would be asking her something like this and so awkwardly.

"I don't know. Why?" She replied.

Naruto, still turned away, scratched his cheek. "I guess...I guess I'd like to see you there. So you can see me beat down that Hyuuga punk."

Kin found her lips forming a smile but then she quickly lost it as she turned her head away and shrugged. "I guess, I don't know. I'll have to see what my team is doing." From the corner of her eye, she thought she could see Naruto's face drop in disappointment.

"Well, I hope to see you there. If not, maybe afterwards, we could get some ramen, eh?"

Kin nodded. "Sounds...sounds good, Naruto."

Naruto stared at her for a moment and then blushed slightly and turned away. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Kin." He said and then left.

Kin watched his retreating form with a blush of her own on her face.

'Was that the first time we called each other by our names?' She thought to herself. Kin mentally shook her head as a depressed sigh came out. She knew that tomorrow wasn't going to be there for her. A reluctant smile crept its way onto her face as she turned around and made her way back to her Inn and room. Today had been a sort of nice day.

Morning soon came as quickly as the other day had ended. Kin had found sleep to come naturally to her the previous night and her dreams were nothing to remember.

Kin had found Dosu had come back and had awoken around the same time she did. Neither of them spoke and Kin felt that it was probably better that way as anything else was inconsequential. Zaku still lay in his bed snoring loudly and neither of them felt the urge to awaken him.

Dosu had let Kin make first use of the bathroom and she was grateful.

Turning on the shower, Kin stepped in and let the warm beads of water cover her and try to elevate her mood. Rinsing her hair, Kin thought back to her little training session with Naruto. She smiled at the fact she had accomplished something before today and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all for nothing. As she stepped out and dried herself, her thoughts came back to Naruto's explanation on how the clones could be used as a diversionary tactic nd that it might save her. Kin, back then, had resigned herself from any further ideas of hope but now...

"You done?" A voice called out from behind the door of the bathroom, yawning; obviously Zaku's.

"No." Kin said plainly as she smirked.

She heard a mutter behind the door but nothing more.

Kin , later, dressed and then stepped out, much to the relief of Zaku who ran in before Dosu could do anything.

Ignoring the death threats that Dosu made at the door, Kin began brushing her slightly damp hair as her mind was fixated on Naruto's idea.

Kin sat with her team at a restaurant having miso soup. Her earlier thoughts on how to save herself were put on hold as she felt that if the opportunity arise and she felt confident then maybe she'd be able to execute the plan. To her, it was all a matter of whether or not she felt she could get away with it. But then, there was something else that was holding her back.

Looking to the left and right of her at her quiet teammates, Kin felt guilty for having these thoughts of escaping her fate when her teammates could not. She would never have gone so far as to call these two her "friends" but at the same time, having spent so much time with them, she wasn't beyond thinking of them as anything closely connected to the word. Apart of Kin wanted to be there with her team when they would have to die in order to give Lord Orochimaru whatever it was that wanted from them. They're her team. They've been through a lot, from training in Oto, to surviving being under Kouroku's thumb, and recently from having to endure the Chuunin Exams together. Yet now, she was thinking of ways to abandon her fate and let theirs be sealed.

Kin knew what their reaction would be should she have spoken her mind outloud. They would have called her a coward for putting them in front of her own survival. Neither one of them had ever thpought of the three of them as a friends nor did they ever think that any kind of bond lay between them as both Zaku and Dosu thought of eachother, and Kin as well; as a means to an end.

Kin smiled on the inside. Predictable and selfish, as they are, they still were the best people to have in your group.

After breakfast, Zaku proposed they do a little training or fake matches before they had to go and meet with Kouroku and Lord Orochimaru.

Kin was about to go with them when she noticed people heading towards the stadium for the Chuunin matches. It was then that Kin remembered Naruto asking her to come see his match. Kin looked back at her team as they were walking away and then at the stadium. She sighed and took a deep breath before telling her team that she would catch up with them shortly as there was still more more thing she had to do.

Dosu and Zaku made no arguments and went their way to a training ground while Kin slipped in with the crowd heading into the stadium for the first Chuunin match.

Kin went inside and found a seating in the balcony and watched as more people came in. She began to look around for the orange-clad blond nusicance and soon found him talking to a very familiar pink-haired girl.

Kin thought for a moment and then smirked as she then dug into her pocket and brought out a very thin senbon needle. She twirled it in her hands and then threw it out where it went across the arena and then struck against the wall right behind Naruto.

Kin watched fiendishly as Naruto jumped in surprise and then looked at the needle and scowled. He then looked around until he looked to the opposite side of the arena where he saw Kin grinning at him.

Naruto's scowl dropped and he smirked back at her.

The match between him and Hyuuga Neji began shortly. As the fight began, their seemed to be no fighting as an argument came between Naruto and the Hyuuga prodigy. Kin had found it immensely unsatisfying as Naruto was pushing the boy to escape his ideals on fate. At a later point, Neji seemed to have enough and he raced forward to attack Naruto and their fight finally commenced.

Halfway in, the boy had sealed the points in Naruto's system and seemingly looked as if he had one the match. Then, through yet another round of back and forth dialogue between him and Naruto about the Hyuuga clan, Naruto stood up coughing blood and told the boy that he wasn't finished yet.

Neji told the proctor that he was going in to kill the loud mouth and that he was free to try and stop him. However, Neji's face faltered as a huge amount of energy and chakra suddenly came pouring and rushing out of Naruto.

Kin herself sat in a stiffened state as she could feel the immense surge coming from the boy and then, to her surprise as well as to many others, these alien forms of energy came into the forms of tails that swifted around behind Naruto before circling around him and then blending right into him.

Kin gaped at him with wide eyes. "What...What is he?"

The match then resumed as Naruto's strength and speed seemed to have gone to a much higher level. He doged everything Neji threw at him and came back at full force to deliver round after round of assaults. Then, at the end, when the two collided causing a deafening sound and leaving cloud of dust in the air, the spectators were on their feet watching with intent.

The cloud dissipated and it revealed both boys lying in craters on the ground. While Neji weakly emerged, Naruto didn't.

Kin bit down on her lip in worry.

Then, as it seemed Neji would be proclaimed the victor, the ground below him began to shake and then Naruto burst and punched the Hyuuga prodigy in the jaw, sending him skyward.

Kin blinked and then looked back to the 'Naruto' in the crater that then puffed into a cloud of smoke to reveal a hole that it had been covering up.

Kin smiled broadly and let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding in.

After been pronounced the winner, Naruto made a few laps around the arena, blowing kisses, waiving, and grinning like an idiot.

Kin could only shake her head in amusement and then she smiled as he soon stopped in her direction and gave a smirk.

"Baka." Kin thought to herself and laughed.

As Kin had left the arena, shortly after the match, she thought more and more about the plan Naruto had executed. She began to think how it might apply to her plan of escaping her fate. She sa down on a bench outside of the arena as she carefully considered what lay before her.

This was a risky, if not deadly decision. Either way she might die, because of it. But it might let her live, if she were lucky. Kin sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair and then she opened her eyes.

She was going to do it.

Kin looked around to make sure no one was looking at her and then she performed the hand signs. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" A clone of herself appeared to her left.

Kin inspected the clone and was relieved to see that they were identical to the point of the mark from the injection Lord Orochimaru had given her on the chest. She quickly instructed her clone to go back to her teammates and do what they were supposed to do.

Her clone nodded and left without saying a word.

Kin watched, herself, retreating and when she was out of sight, Kin then began thinking on what her next course of action was. She decided it was best to lay low, so she applied herself with a henge and appeared as a slightly older girl with long auburn hair in a kimono. She then walked to the district of town and merged in with the crowd of people and began, casually, making herself out to be a tourist going into various shops.

Later, she heard a commotion as people in the street began running, yelling, and screaming. She heard various people saying that the village was under attack.

'It's happening.' Kin thought to herself. Knowing as to how long she's been away, she felt a slight comfort that her plan hadn't been exposed. She decided to play it safe and mingle with the terrified villagers.

Chaos was abundent. All around her she could hear people screaming, building crashing, and many nins from Otot and Suna, to her surprise; causing mayhem and murder all around.

Konoha was under attack. Kin wondered if she should just slip out of the village or if she should just continue to remain in her disguise. However, when a woman and her child were being ganged up on by a sneering Suna nin, Kin decided it best to act a discreet part. She flung several of her senbon out and clipped the man fatally in the back of his head. Kin, then, made her way out to see the results of the onslaught at hand. As soon as she was in the street, however, she took notice of a large explosion that sent a portion of the wall surrounding Konoha to the ground as forces from Suna and Oto came scrambling in.

Kin wondered as to what her next move should be, but then another explosion occured as a man, throwing explosives, hurtled one close by to a cowering group of youths underneath a table near an outside restaurant.

Thinking no more Kin threw herself out toward the children and managed to get them to move before the bomb detonated. The ground beneath her caved in and the last thing Kin could remember was the street flying high above her before darkness came into view.

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Naruto stood amongst the other Nins at the Third Hokage's memorial service. No sound, other than Konohamaru sobbing, could be heard. Naruto was patched up from his skirmish with the boy Gaara and, as he looked, it seemed many others were in similar conditions.

Naruto felt the sadness within him as the man who tried to protect him and guide him was no longer here. Naruto quietly asked Iruka as to why people die for others. After Iruka's explanation, followed by a comment by Kakashi-sensei, Naruto felt a bit upheaved and he smiled for the first time since after he had beaten Neji in the Chuunin match.

After the memorial, Kakashi sent his students to help with finding survivors in the village underneath the rubble. With no Hokage, this had been an order by the council in which practically every nin was ordered to do.

Naruto obliged and he quickly made up about twenty Kage Bushins to help in the effort. Naruto, himself, went around helping pulling debris off of people, checking pulses and then laying medical tags for the med nins to let them know that this person was alive. So far, within his search, he had uncovered about twenty people who were still alive and forty that had died.

Naruto felt saddened by it all, but he remembered Kakashi telling him that it was lucky that Naruto had managed to subdue Gaara as the death tolls would have skyrocketed.

As Naruto was helping an elderly person to their feet, he could hear a child calling out to an adult.

"She's still down there! Kaa-san, we need to rescue her!"

Naruto turned and saw the gril pointing down to a large hole in the ground. He slowly approached the girl.

"Someone's down there?" He asked.

The little girl nodded. "She saved me and my friends. Please save her."

Naruto nodded and then lept into the hole.

Naruto found himself in the village's underwater sewer system. It was dark and the smells were terrible.

"Hey! Are you here!" Naruto called out. He then took a stick out of his pocket and filled it with his chakra to have it glowing bright enough that it filled the entirety of the area.

To Naruto, this place made him feel uncomfortable as it reminded him of the place where that damn fox was being kept inside of him. However, putting his uneasiness aside, he glanced around more and then he thought he could hear some shallow breathing.

"Hey, where are you!" Naruto called out. He then began walking and soon happened upon a body that was face down in the water. Crouching down, Naruto seized the body up and turned it over. when he saw the face, he dropped his lightened stick and backed away a step.

There, lying there, was Kin.

Naruto studied her for a it as he saw the left side of her face covered in blood and her left leg and arm were bent in odd angles. After glancing at her, Naruot's face contorted into a scowl as he remembered being told that Oto had taken part in destroying the town and that her teammates were found as two of the ones that helped killed the Old Man.

Naruto's killing intent rose and then it slowly left him as he continued to hear her ragged breaths. Stepping out of anger, he remembered how Kakashi told him the circumstances surrounding the Hokage death. That Orochimaru, that snake bastard, had used her teammates to be converted into the living carnations of the first and second Hokage. Kakashi had said that both were long dead before they had been used. The last thing he had told Naruto was that there was a third box, but no one was in it.

Naruto remembered how he responded at first, thinking that Kin was an enemy and that she should have been there lying dead with her other team members. Now, he was kicking himself for thinking that way. He realized that this was what she was trying to tell him when she was talking about how she was going to be killed and there was no way out. Naruto now had an idea as to what the girl was facing and it pained him.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto bent down to scoop up Kin but as he did, he found her unresponsive to his touch.

She was breathing, that was good.

Naruto, after holding her up, looked down to see her Sound hitae-ate lying on the ground. Naruto put his foot underneath it and kicked it up into the air and caught it in his hand while holding Kin. Then, he slowly walked with her back to the opening.

To be continued....

A/N: I know that I left the whole bit of Orochimaru as the Kazekage out but that'll all be explained in the next chapter. Also, I'm not sure if I'll still go canonical from here on in. Or, if I do, if I'll be entirely dedicated to have it be in Kin's point of view. I'll accept any thoughts on the matter. The next chapter will come in a couple of days, so stay tuned.

Q-n-P


	8. The Deal

**Chapter Eight: The Deal**

Naruto sat in Kin's room in the hospital observing as a nurse came in and took her core temperature before scribbling on a clipboard and then leaving room. Before she had left she gave Naruto sneer with an air of distaste, to which Naruto scowled at her. She didn't say anything to him prior to leaving.

Once she had gone, Naruto sighed as he looked at the girl lying in the bed. Kin had her head wrapped up in bandages and her left arm and leg were suspended in air, also wrapped up. She had suffered some head trauma and had broken her arm and leg but, other than that, she was no worse for the wear.

When Naruto had brought her into the hospital, earlier, he had been met with questionable looks. After all, seeing the 'demon-boy' bring in a badly beaten up girl was a little unsettling for the hospital.

Naruto didn't care and he made sure that she would get the medical attention that she needed. Soon afterwards, when they had inquired about who she was, Naruto thought it would be best to keep her identity secret as he had hoped to talk to either the Ero-sennin or Kakashi-sensei about her predicament so that she wouldn't be denied treatment for being from one of the villages that had attacked Konoha.

As soon as Naruto had made sure she would be treated, he sent a message to both of his teachers in hopes one of them would meet him here. Now he was waiting.

"Hey brat. I just got your message, whose the babe?"

Naruto scowled as he turned to see Jiraya leaning in the doorway, a smirk visible on his face.

"Her name's Kin Tsuchi. She's a friend." Naruto said, turning back to the girl.

Jiraya nodded as he came in and stood by Naruto. "So what did you want to see me about?"

Naruto sighed as he turned to the Toad Sage. "Well, you see..." Naruto then went on to a lengthy description of his first meeting Kin up to the point where he had found her in the sewer in her current condition. After finishing he looked expectantly at the man next to him.

Jiraya scratched his chin as he gazed at the girl in the bed. "Well, first off I'm going to tell you that this girl's going to be interrogated by our squad, there's no debating that. She's from Sound and it was that village, led by Orochimaru, that had helped in killing the Sandaime and many others."

Naruto sighed and nodded.

Jiraya placed a hand on his shoulder. "But, I think if you talk with Kakashi, I think he might be able to help her out, to an extent."

Naruto looked at the man, curiously. "How?"

"There's a way." Said a voice from behind them.

The two of them turned to see Kakashi leaning against the wall behind them, his orange book opened in front of him. He raised a hand. "Yo."

Naruto scowled once more. "Kakashi-sensei, how long have you been there?"

Kakashi closed his book. "Just as you were telling Jiraya-sama about your "friend's" story. He's right, you know. She will be interrogated regardless, but, seeing as how she probably won't be able to go back to Otogakure, and we sure as hell won't allow it; she'll be given an alternative to jail time."

Naruto blinked. "What's her alternative?"

Kakashi didn't answer as he brought his book back out again. Before Naruto could angrily try to drive it out of his sensei, he turned as he heard Kin mutter. Her eyelids began to flicker and then open.

Naruto watched as she dazedly looked about the room before her focus came directly upon Naruto.

"N...Naru..." She began, but Naruto got up from his seat and went over and clasped her hand into his.

"Don't speak. Save your strength." He said as he gave her a smile.

Kin feebly smiled back as her eyes closed once more.

"Ooh hoo, this is juicy material..."

Naruto's brow furrowed and he murderously glared at Jiraya as his eyes were wide with excitement and he was scribbling in his little book while looking up at Naruto and Kin and then back down at his little book.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to try and catch glimpse of what the man was writing.

"I'm going to burn that book if you don't stop writing, Ero-sennin." Naruto said, his voice firm as he was still holding Kin's hand.

Jiraya made a pout and put his book away. "Fine." He then walked up to Naruto. "Listen brat, there's something I need to discuss with you outside. Let Kakashi take over watching her. Don't worry, she's in good hands." He added the last part in as he saw Naruto was about to say something.

Naruto sighed and then looked back to the, now, sleeping girl. "Get better." He whispered into her ear before squeezing her hand and then letting slowly come out of his and letting it drop onto her lap. Naruto then followed his sensei out as he saw Kakashi nod to him and then closed the door behind the two.

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Kin Tsuchi awoke later in the afternoon, feeling groggy and parched. She then soon discovered that the left side of her felt immobile. Looking to her left side she found her arm and leg raised and bandaged, it was then when she took in her surroundings.

Seeing as how she was in a hospital bed, she put a hand to her head and groaned as she tried to recall the memories as to discover what had led her to being here.

"I see you're awake." Said a voice in the room.

Kin removed her hand from her head and scanned the room to see a silver-haired Jonin, with his right eye obscured by his headband; raising a hand.

"Yo." He said.

Kin frowned and then sighed. "How...did I get here?"

She then noticed that the man had a book in his hand which he dog-eared before closing, he then leaned forward. "Well, my student brought you here after finding you in the sewer banged up. He said you saved some kids' lives and you ended up where you were because of it."

Kin found the images flooding back to her and then she looked around once more, but before she could speak, the Jonin started.

"The seige has ended. Both Sound and Sand's forces have been beaten and driven back. Right now, Konoha's recovering from the damage."

Kin nodded as she took all of this in. "Did...did Orochimaru..."

The Jonin, once again, nodded. "Yeah, he was involved. He had an agent of his kill the Kazekage in Suna and pose as him during the matches of the Chuunin Exam. However, the Snake-Sennin didn't show until the attack happened. He then killed our Hokage using two of your teammates bodies to bring back our two, dead, Hokages. I'm guessing you were meant to be used for our fourth."

Kin's eyes fell upon her chest where she had been injected. She then began to realize what Orochimaru had meant when he had asked her and her teammates if they had wanted to be "Kages". She then listened as Kakashi continued.

"Your team is dead, by the way. We're guessing they died before their bodies were used."

Kin looked up and her face fell completely upon this news. Tears threatened to engulf her eyes but she managed to hold them back. However, she was sure it wasn't enough as the masked Jonin seemed to notice that this had troubled her.

"He never told you what your part was, did he?"

Kin shook her head. "He asked us if we wanted to be "Kages" and then he injected us." Kin lowered her rob to show the man the part underneath her collarbone where the injected spot was still evident.

The man nodded, "I'll let the infirmary staff now about that and they'll get that crap out of you."

Kin nodded, appreciatively. "Arigato."

The man nodded back. He then removed himself from his present position and walked over to her and sat down on the side of her bed.

"So," He began, "What are you going to do now?"

Kin blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, after you've been interrogated, you'll be given two options. One, you'll be sent to the jail system as an enemy of the village, despite your circumstances and unwilling participation."

Kin looked down and nodded.

"Or," He continued, "You could be entered into "The System"."

Kin looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"You'd be entered into this village's ANBU regiment known as WASP. WASP's ranks consist of several captured nins from other villages that have opted to work for the village as opposed to jailtime. They are full members of Konoha, having shed their allegiance to their former villages. If you accept this, you'd be doing the same and there'd be no turning back from it." He then looked at her carefully from the corner of his only exposed eye.

Kin looked down as she thought about what was being offered to her. While being in jail gave her freedom to remain true to herself and her village, the other one gave her the opportunity to be active and be behind bars. Kin sighed, she knew she didn't have any choice in this matter as jail would be depressing but in choosing the latter of her options, she would be severing her ties to Oto and.....to never see Tayuya again. But...

Kin looked back at Kakashi, who was looking at her expectingly. "Tell me, uh, who was your student that rescued me?"

The man then smiled. "That'd be Konoha's number one hyperactive, knuckle-headed, ninja; Uzumaki Naruto."

Kin's face erupted into a broad smile. she had her answer now. Her face went back to its previous form as she nodded. "I'll join WASP."

The man nodded. "Very well. Don't expect things to get easier for you here on in, Tsuchi Kin. You're on the long road to recovery and getting there will be a big battle. For one thing, so you know, your instructor in WASP had lost her lover by someone of the other two villages that attacked us. She will NOT go easy on you, no matter what you tell her of what your part was in all this."

Kin looked away and nodded.

The man nodded back. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, by the way. Before I leave I want to tell you that Naruto told me of how you saved those kids' lives during the battle."

Kin looked back at him as he began to leave the room.

"It's because of that, that I'm giving you this option, Tsuchi. So be grateful."

Kin nodded.

Kakashi nodded back before leaving.

Kin watched him leave before sighing and then gazing, solemnly, out the window of her room.

It hadn't been too long before her interrogators had arrived. One she recognized as the first proctor of the Chuunin Exams, Ibiki. The other, a tall man with long platinum hair tied up into a ponytail, she didn't, yet he didn't give the forbidding sense of doom as his counterpart did.

"Hello, Tsuchi." Ibiki said as he brought a chair to Kin's left side of the bed. "As you're probably aware, we're here to interrogate you for information about the attack and other things that might interest our information group."

Kin nodded.

Ibiki nodded back and then looked and pointed to the ponytailed man standing on the opposite side of the bed. "This is Yamanaka Inoichi. He's going to observe your brainwave pattern, your thoughts, memories, and thinking while we do this. He'll alert me should you lie about anything. He'll know at an instant if you do. Should you lie..." Ibiki then put a hand on Kin's leg and gave a violent twist which caused Kin to shout out in pain. "Measures, like this, will be taken to correct your responses, am I clear?"

Kin swallowed as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She nodded.

Ibiki nodded too, he then nodded toward Inoichi and Kin then felt the man's hand pressed firmly onto the back of her head and then she felt his fingers digging into her scalp.

"Let's begin." Ibiki said, his hand still firmly grasping her propped up leg. "We'll start with your life story. Tell us all you can remember."

Kin nodded as she started to tell about her life on her parent's farm in Whirlwind Country. She continued on through to the point of her parent's murder at the hands of Naido and his men, her life as a slave under Tesai and Tabuuyo, and then to being purchased by Orochimaru and her life being Otogakure.

After this, Ibiki called for a break and Inoichi gave her some water to drink, which she accepted, gratefully. After two sips, they continued and Kin told them of her training in Oto along with the formation of her squad and their sensei. Kin then told about the message she and her team received, meeting her sensei and Orochimaru in Konoha, his "tokens of appreciation", meeting Naruto, and then her and her team's partaking in the Chuunin Exam. She told the two men of Zaku's desperate plan to try and eliminate Uchiha Sasuke in the Forest of Death in order to save themselves from taking part on Orochimaru's plan. She told them about how her and her team failed and then failed again in the Chuunin matches. After that, she gave a brief account of the times she spent with Naruto and how reluctant she was sharing with him what she was going through. The last things she mentioned were of Naruto's teaching her the Kage Bushin and how she applied it to saving herself at the last moment and then she spoke of how she mixed in with the villagers as the attack happened, saving lives where she could before she fell down the hole and thus ended up here in the hospital.

After she had finished, Ibiki looked at her long and hard before looking to Inoichi to confirm that she had been telling the truth the entire time.

Inoichi nodded, silently.

Ibiki, then, turned back to Kin, taking his hand off of her leg.

"Well done, Tsuchi. Thank you for your cooperation. From waht I heard from you, I can only say that I'm sorry. But, I still can't forgive you for your village's part in taking away our Hokage, so forgive me for not treating you with the respect you deserve for all that you've gone through."

Kin sighed, "I wouldn't have expected you to, anyways. Sound and Leaf were enemies even before this happened, am I right?"

Ibiki nodded. "Too true. Now, if you'll excuse us, Inoichi and I will take our leave. Take care."

Kin nodded and remained silent as the two men left her room.

After they had gone, Kin, once again, turned her gaze toward her window. Her thoughts went immediately to Naruto to which she smiled. Even though she was dazed, at the time, Kin couldn't but help to remember the reassuring squeeze had given her hand.

To be continued...

A/N: Next Chapter, "Chapter Nine: WASP" In a couple of days.

A/N II: Please Read and Review.

Q-n-p


	9. Yugao

**Chapter Nine: Yugao**

As the evening hours came in over Konoha, many of the people either retreated to their homes or, like so many, they went to the various night spots to take in the comfort of their friends and the their drinks.

The latter was frequented by most young villagers, shinobi's, bachelors, and bachelorettes. The most notorious were the Shika-Akimi-Yamanaka trio, who frequented numerous bars in the course of one night.

Hatake Kakashi had stepped into one such tavern, seeking out a person who, as of late; had been delving into the "night life" as well.

Inside the "Midnight Kunai", he casually peered around, avoiding most of the stumblers, laughers, and the violence-prone; as he sought out one person. It didn't take long as he had found her at the bar, a bottle of sake next to her, her head resting against a propped up arm.

"I know they say 'you need to get out more' but I think you're over doing it, Uzuki-chan." He said as he sat himself down on the stool next to her.

Uzuki Yugao turned her head and gave a wry smile as she then finished the contents in her saucer.

"Kakashi-san. How've you been?"

Kakashi shrugged. "You?"

Yugao poured herself another saucer-full of sake as she then sighed and glanced around the place. "We used to go here on our nights off, you know?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Hayate never really liked places like these but he did like the company he found in them." She then took another long gulp of sake and then shuddered as she set the saucer down. She then looked to Kakashi. "If memory serves me, you weren't all that crazy about places like these either, huh, captain?"

Kakashi looked around with his only visible eye. "Just isn't my thing."

Yugao nodded. "So, are you here to try and cheer me up or do you have other motives."

Kakashi looked at the plum-haired woman for a moment before reaching behind him and pulling out a folder. "I got a new member for you."

Yugao observed him in quietly before taking the folder from his hand. She sighed as she opened it and looked at the photo of a girl in a hospital bed with her head bandaged up and her left arm and leg as well. She skimmed through the contents and then closed the file and tossed it back to Kakashi.

"Not interested."

Kakashi sighed, "Yugao..."

She took another sling of sake and then shook her head. "Says she's from Oto, you knew what my answer was going to be."

Kakashi carefully nodded. "Yes, but there's more to her than that."

Yugao chuckled, ruefully. "Really?"

Kakashi nodded as he tossed back the folder to her. "Read."

Yugao let out a groan as she poured herself another saucer-full before opening the folder again. She drank as she read the contents which had been supplied by both Kakashi and Ibiki. When she finished, she closed the folder, but this time didn't give it back to Kakashi. She tapped her finger against the folder several times before she closed her eyes.

"How much longer is she in the hospital for?"

"She leaves tomorrow."

Yugao nodded, tiliting the saucer of sake in her hand. She, then, looked at Kakashi with tired expression. "She's not going to have it easy with me, you know?"

Kakashi nodded, "I told her as such."

Yugao nodded. "Tell her to meet me in my office tomorrow afternoon. If she's late, she goes behind bars."

Kakashi nodded and bowed before taking his leave.

Yugao didn't even bother to watch him get up as she had her eyes on the folder in front of her.

'You're a sucker for the troubled ones, Kakashi-san' She thought before pouring herself another serving.

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After what had felt like a lifetime of being checked up on and waiting around, Kin had been finally released from the hospital. She was relieved to shed her hospital garments and into her regular clothes that she had found been patched up. She took quick inventory of her things but had found that her weapons and her Sound Hitae-ate were not there. She frowned at the prior being gone than the rather since she knew she had made the bargain to resign from Oto.

Sighing, Kin looked through her pouch that she usually had strapped to the back of her waist and produced the monogrammed cloth that had meant the world to her. She rubbed her fingers against it, lovingly. After a moment of two, she put it back and then laced up her knee-high boots before exiting her room. As soon as she was out she saw Kakashi leaning against the wall outside, his book out in front of him.

"Yo." He said, with a waive.

Kin returned the gesture and then looked around. "Naruto's not here?"

Kakashi nodded. "He went on a trip with Jiraya-sama. He'll be back probably within a week's time."

Kin nodded, albeit sadly.

Kakashi observed her silently before closing his eye and then rummaged through his pocket before producing a key, which he tossed to her.

Kin caught the key and looked at it, confusingly. "What's this?"

"A spare key to Naruto's apartment." Kakashi said. "He insisted that since you'll most likely not have a place to stay, to use his while he's gone."

Kin looked blankly at the key and a blush rose to her face as she considered what he was doing. "He...He's letting me stay at his place?"

Kakashi nodded. "He's a weird kid, that's for sure. I told him that we have barracks but he refused the idea."

Kin rubbed her left arm with her other hand as she still had the key held out in front of her. She then slowly put it into her back pouch and looked at the floor, the color still on her face.

Kakashi sighed, "Don't look too much into it, I'm sure he'll try to help you find a place once he's back and you're all settled in ANBU and WASP."

Kin nodded, though her mind was still trying to untangle the meaning or intentions behind such an offer that Naruto had made for her.

Kakashi put his book away into his flak vest's pocket and then put his hands into his pockets. "So, now that that's out of the way, shall we get going so you'll arrive to meet your Taichou in time?"

Kin looked up and nodded. She then followed silently behind Kakashi as they left the hallway and then the hospital. From there they went to the Hokage Tower and climbed the stairway until they came upon an unmarked, knobless, door. From here, Kakashi wrapped it five times and then took out a kunai and scratched it three. They waited for about three minutes before the door slightly opened and a figure with a mask resembling a frog peered through the cracked entry.

"What was the Third's favorite book? In it, what was his favorite chapter?" The masked man asked.

Kakashi scratched the side of his face, ""Icha Icha Kunoichi no Suna". "Chapter forty-two: Getting Sand out of Hard to Reach Places"."

Kin stared blankly and her left eye began to twitch. 'You've...got...to...be...kidding...me...'

The frog-masked man didn't say anything but merely nodded and opened the door for the two to enter.

Kakashi lead the two of them through and Kin suddenly found them on a raised walkway that led through a labyrinth of passageways. The buildings around them were windowless and very cold in appearance. After several minutes of walking around, Kakashi led her up an ascending spiral staircase that went up the side of one of the buildings. Halfway to the top, they stopped at a door which had a black design on the front resembling a wasp's head and the kanji for "resolve" underneath it.

Kakashi wrapped twice at the door and then used the kunai that he had out before to make a puncture wound on his index finger, which he then used to make an "x" on the front of the door.

The wasp design glowed red and then there was a "click" as the door cracked open.

Kakashi pushed it open and let Kin walk ahead in front of him.

Kin gulped as she walked inside the room. The room was dimly-lit, a samll, insignificant draft came from a large rotating fan on the ceiling above. The walls had paint chipping and cracking in various areas. Two long lockers ran alongside the walls, with two of the doors that only remained open. In between the lockers, in the middle of the room, was a tattered sofa and two chairs.

Taking off her boots, while Kakashi took off his shoes, Kin thought she could smell incense burning followed by the sound of wind chimes coming from the room adjacent to this one in the back.

Kakashi motioned her to continue on in and they walked past the sofa and chairs to the back where they came into another room which was empty. Two doors lay to the right and the left.

Kakashi indicated to the door to the left and prompted her to knock.

Kin did and when the last sound came it was replied by a woman's response.

"Come in."

Kin gulped and opened the door and found herself in an office space. The room was small, it allowed only enough space for a desk, some chairs, and a file cabinet. Kin focused in the desk's area as she spotted a person in a seat behind it.

The woman, in Kin's eyes was beautiful but in a casual sense. Kin could see that this person didn't care to accentuate her looks by use of make-up and their really wasn't any need. Her hair was a sofy purple color that was long, her eyes were the most captivating. They held a slight grayish-blue hinge and they hid their emotion in their heavy-slitted stance. However, despite her beauty, Kin could see that her eyes also held a withdrawn look, there was an apparent absence of a spark.

The woman, who had been looking at a folder, looked up when the door had closed and silently looked at the two who had entered. She closed her eyes and then motioned to the two chairs in the room for them to sit. She then put the folder aside and leaned back in her chair, her hands resting on her elbows.

"So." She said. "You're Tsuchi Kin, I take it. From Sound."

Kin grimaced at the withdrawn tone the woman had and how she was looking at Kin with a cross between indifference and pity. Kin nodded in her reply.

The woman's eyes looked her up and down. "You're in good shape. Your file says that your prior skills were for subduing somebody long enough for you to kill them or for your team to finish them off. In other words, you don't have any real skills; do you, Tsuchi?"

Kin looked down. In the past, her ego and the way she was trained, would have had her lashing out at this person for demeaning her so harshly. However, as of now, Kin just nodded. "I guess." She mumbled.

"What's that? Speak up, Tsuchi, I didn't quite hear you." The woman's tone sounded harsh, although it was hard to tell as in it's low, withdrawn, tone.

Kin looked up at her. "You're right. My abilities are next to nothing. I was taught only to subdue someone long enough for someone to take them out, if not myself. However, I can fight and be able to defend myself."

The woman nodded, "As should all rats that find themselves cornered."

Kin clencthed her fists and bit her lip in the effort not to retort.

The woman, whose eyes were still settled on her, sighed as she looked away and brought forth a folder, which she then opened. "It says here that while in Oto, you weren't given any training in anything other than chakra control, hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, and basic medicine; am I right?"

Kin nodded.

"Why is it that they ignored some of the most fundamentals, Tsuchi?" She asked.

Kin shrugged. "Our sensei's said that everybody had their own purpose. I never really questioned it as a lot of us were afraid to."

The woman quietly observed her again. Her eyes then went to Kakashi. "Has she found a place to stay?"

Kakashi nodded. "Naruto's lending his apartment to her while he's away with Jiraya."

Kin was surprised to see a new emotion from the woman as her eyes widened a bit. However, they changed when she looked back at her in a questioning look.

"Naruto, huh? What's your relationship with him, exactly?"

Again, Kin felt obligated to tell this woman to mind her own business, and, again, she was forced to ask the question truthfully. "I really don't know. I...I'd like to think that we're...friends? Acquaintances? I don't know, really...."

The woman nodded. "Alright." she then got up from her seat and peered out the window behind her desk, sighing.

"My name is Uzuki Yugao. You will address me as Yugao-sensei as always and only when we're alone or with the other members of WASP. In other times you'll address me as "Taichou"." She then turned back, her eyes firm. "Should at anytime not like where your training is going or if I suspect you of doing something, you WILL be going to prison. Am I understood, Tsuchi?"

Kin nodded. "Hai, Yugao-sensei."

Yugao nodded, appreciativly. She then turned to Kakashi. "Does she know how to get here?"

Kakashi looked at Kin from the corner of his eye and saw her nodding, he then turned back and nodded himself.

Yugao also nodded and then sat back behind the desk. "Apply your blood to the door on your way out, Tsuchi. The password to the door-keeper from the tower changes hourly and the answers to such are from information you aren't privy to. Thus, you'll be taking an alternate route which I'll provide for you later with the message I'll be sending to Naruto's apartment. I'll be seeing you tomorrow here early in the morning, the note that I send to you will have the time for that appointment as well. As such, with any faction of ANBU, you will not be telling anyone of this one or me and it's members, am I clear, Tsuchi?"

Kin nodded.

Yugao closed her eyes. "Though you're being spared jail time and have chosen this, be warned. I will not take things easy on you. In fact, I won't be surprised if, after tomorrow, you'll beg to be thrown in prision than to be with me another day." She opened her eyes, looking at Kin with all emotion, once again, drained away.

Kin stiffened, but nodded. "Hai, Yugao-sensei."

Yugao looked at her for a moment before closing her eyes once more and waiving her hand.

Kin got up and bowed before turning, Kakashi slowly getting up himself.

"Before you leave," Yugao said, causing Kin and Kakashi to turn, "I have to ask, were you, your team, your sensei, or Orochimaru involved in anyway with a man who was murdered on the rooftops before the finals of the Chuunin Exam? A man who was the first proctor during the preliminaries? One with a ghastly cough?"

Kin suddenly remembered the man she was talking about but nothing came to her mind about what she had specifically asked. She shook her head.

Yugao's eyes went down to her desk and she sighed in a depressed tone. "Alright then." She, again, gestured with a dismissive waive.

As Kin and Kakashi were walking to Naruto's apartment, Kin looked up at him. "Did something happen to her?"

Kakashi looked away from the book that was back in his hands, down at Kin, and then back to his book. "Yes. Like I said, she had lost someone during the Chuunin Exam. No one knows who did it, but she's convinced it was someone from either Oto or Suna."

Kin looked down, thoughtfully.

Neither of them spoke again as they had reached the apartment complex. Kakashi led her up a flight of stairs to the second floor where they then turned and went down to the last apartment on the right.

"Well," Kakashi said, closing his book and then doing a mock-salute. "I'll be seeing ya...maybe." He then made a hand sign and vanished in a trail of wind and leaves.

Kin continued looking at the place where Kakashi once was before sighing and turning back to the door. She then reached beind her and took out the spare key Naruto had made for her.

'Here it goes.' She thought and then opened the door. In her mind she was expecting the place to be a mess. All terrible smells to be evident, dirty laundry to be haning over furniture and to be littering the floor; all things horrible that boys did. However, upon opening her eyes, she was surprised and her mouth fell open.

The place was clean and there was no obtrusive smells. There was a distinct ramen smell that wafted about, but it wasn't over-powering. However, the place was unfurnished, only a couch, a small table and two chairs could be seen in the studio complex.

Kin walked about and trailed a finger along the table and, to her surprise, found no dust come up with her finger. She went into the small kitchen and opened cubbards to find only the bare minimum of dishes and cups.

'The guy has practically nothing! Am I in the right place?' She wondered to herself. She went to the pantry and found three instant ramen cups. She frowned.

'When he gets back, we'll need to talk about getting some groceries.' She then walked out of the kitchen, rubbing her arm as she looked around. She looked to the couch and was even more surprised to see a folded up blanket and a pillow there. On top of the pillow was a note. Kin walked up to it and picked it up and unfolded it, she then read aloud it's contents.

" 'Kin, hope this all suits you okay. I tried my best to clean it all up nice, I've never really had anyone stay over before. Kakashi-sensei brought your stuff over from the Inn where you and your team were staying at, they're over by the sofa.'" Kin then looked to the side of the sofa and found her belongings laying be the side. She then read the rest of the note. " 'I'll be back soon after we find this teammate of Ero-Sennin's. Oh, uh, please stay out of my room, alright? Naruto.'" A grin appeared on Kin's face.

'Not to go in your room, huh?' she thought, miscehviously. 'Shouldn't have told me.'

Kin walked to a small hallway that led that had two doors on opposite sides. She opened the one on the right to find the bathroom. Again, to her amazement it was clean, though she wasn't brave enough to inspect the toilet. The shower was small, but it would do.

Kin left the bathroom and then approached the door on the opposite side, her grin resurfacing. She opened the door.

Inside was a medium sized bed, on the floor were some barbells and weights. The floor was littered with instant ramen cups and some "Shinobi Monthly" magazines.

'Boys will be boys.' Kin thought. She then saw a few things on the walls near the bed. On careful observation, they appeared to be drawings the boy had made in some earlier time in his life. they were caricatures of him holding the hands of two individuals one male and one female, and were set in various locations like in a park, his graduation ceremony at a ninja Academy, and one with them in a house with a dog.

Kin blinked as she looked at the crayon drawings. Realization came to her as she reflected upon where he lived and how empty it was, along with these drawing and their significance.

'He doesn't have anyone.' She felt saddened by this. She had assumed that he came from a family and was very much loved. Now, it appeared to her that this boy had a mask of his own that he wore to discourage others on knowing what his life was really like.

'I guess we're similar in some ways.' Kin thought. She then left the room and closed the door, silently berating herself for intruding. Kin walked to the open window by the kitchen table and gazed out over Konoha.

Her life was starting all over again. would it be better this time?

To be continued....

(Taichou = Captain) If I'm not mistaken. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

A/N: I didn't include the bit about Sasuke and Kakashi being hospitalized from having confronted Itachi on purpose as their impairment would have thwarted me from Kakashi introducing Kin to Yugao and for Sasuke's involvement in the next chapter. Itachi will make an appearance with his partner soon, but not until Naruto comes back with Tsunade. I know I kind of skipped and left it unexplained as to Naruto's reasoning behind letting Kin stay with him at his place, but hopefully it's not that big of an issue with you, my readers. I think you'll like what I have for you in the next chapters as it'll get more interesting as one can expect with getting a roommate and finding some awkward instances. I'm still debating as to what Tayuya's involvement will be in this story.

Tomorrow the next chapter should be up.

Q-n-P


	10. WASP

**Chapter Ten: WASP**

Kin walked up the ascending spiral staircase early the next day. Having been sent a message that by a man wearing a mask resembling a lion on her time to come in and the directions to now take in order to reach WASP's location. The new location had her going through several alleyways before reaching a dead-end where an outline of a hand was on a wall. It was from there that she had to place her hand which then glowed and revealed a hidden entryway which led her to one of the familiar labyrinth-like areas that she and Kakashi had been at the day prior.

Once reaching the second level, Kin turned and soon was once again at the door which had the wasp head on it. Mimicking Kakashi's actions that she had seen yesterday, Kin wrapped twice at the door, cut her finger and scrawled her blood on the door in an"x" shape. The wasp's head glowed red and the door cracked open, inwards. Kin walked through and was once again finding herself in the dimly-lit room. However, unlike before, there were now people in the room.

A woman with rasberry-colored hair sat on the weathered couch balancing a kunai on her finger tip while a bulky man with a shaved head was reading in a chair opposite of the sofa. Both turned to see Kin.

Kin raised a hand in a welcome. "Hi."

While the man nearly nodded before returning to his reading material, the woman put down her kunai and approached Kin while Kin was in the process of removing her boots.

"A new recruit, huh?" She looked Kin up and down. "You're pretty scrawny." She smiled, playfully.

The woman was taller than Kin, looked to be in her middle to late twenties. Her bare arms had multiple scars that went diagonally along in different directions. Her eyes were curiously black, no trace of any color within the irises.

"What's your name, girl?"

"Tsuchi Kin." Kin said, she looked down and rubbed her arm, selfconciously. This all had felt like deja vu to her, feeling this awkward again.

The woman nodded. "I'm Kaimo Yuriko. Over there is Akira, he doesn't have a last name. What village did you come from, Tsuchi?"

Kin felt nervous about replying to this question, knowing that she was going to be met with some open hostility due to her village's part in the murder of Konoha's Hokage. She said in a low tone.

"Otogakure."

At first, Yuriko didn't respond and neither did Akira. It seemed Yuriko was considering Kin's answer, but then she, surprisingly, wrapped her arm around Kin's shoulder and brought her into the room and placed her on the sofa. She then sat down next to her.

"Sound, huh? Boy are you going to have it rough with Uzuki-taichou."

Kin nodded.

"How did you get picked?" Akira asked, not looking up from his book.

Kin swallowed and then slowly told them a watered-down version of what happened from her team being an unwitting participants in Orochimaru's plan to her escaping her fate and ending up in the hospital. She told them that someone offered her the option of joining WASP, but didn't say as to whom because she wasn't sure if Kakashi wanted her to. She had the feeling he didn't. After her story, she looked back to Yuriko, who had a hand to her chin, absorbing everything Kin was telling her.

"Wow, that's quite the story."

Kin nodded, solemnly. She then looked cautiously back at Yuriko.

"Where do you guys come from?"

Yuriko smiled as she gestured a thumb at herself. "Me? Well, I'm from Takigakure. Came here when my leader's coup d' teat against our village failed and, unfortunately, labeled me as a risk being that he was my leader. They casted me out, along with a few others. We all went our separate ways. I ended up here and, well, the rest is history."

Kin nodded and then looked over to Akira who sighed as he put down his book.

"I was found unconscious on the border of Fire Country with a Rock Hitai-ate on my arm. I have no memory of how I ended up there and since Konoha has a long history of distrust against Iwagakure, there was no way to find out about my past. Even though the interrogation squad here tried every method, all of it remains a mystery. So, here I am in WASP.

Kin lowered her head, sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Akira shrugged, "Better to be ignorant than disappointed. I have no worries."

Yuriko sighed and casted him a wry grin. "You say that about everything."

Akira merely grunted in response.

Yuriok turned back to Kin, "The only other remember here you haven't met is Shiro. But, he's out on assignment, so I guess you'll meet him later down the road."

Kin nodded. The three of them turned their heads as the door to building opened and Yugao had entered. In Kin's opinion, the woman looked even more withdrawn than before. She looked like a mannequin that could walk.

Yugao took off her coat before greeting the other two, she then turned and spotted Kin next to Yuriko.

"Welcome to your first day, Tsuchi." She said. "I take it you've now met everyone?"

"Everybody but Shiro, due to his assignment." Yuriko said.

Yugao nodded. "Well, she'll meet him later on, but for now we're going to have to get things started. Tsuchi here is a pitiful example of a shinobi and I'm sorry to say that I'm going to need the two of you to take some time and shape her into something resembling a nin of a village, if not merely just faking it."

Kin grimaced at the woman's continuing to belittle her, but she held her tongue and looked expectantly at her sensei.

"Yuriko," Yugao continued, "I'd like you to teach her the fundamentals of ninjutsu. She knows some basic genjutsu, but it wouldn't hurt to do a refreshing course. Akira, taijutsu. Both of you can go as hard on her as you want to the point of her bones breaking. She joined us in a weakened state and, as you both know, WASP will never allow a weak member to be among its regiment."

Yuriko and Akira nodded. Kin paled.

"When they're all done, Tsuchi, I'll start teaching you in the the more advanced courses: cryptography, stealth, and a little bit of kenjutsu, IF you have what it takes. After you're done with one of these two, you'll immediately seek out the other. You will NOT be allowed any respite from your remedial shinobi training, am I clear?"

Kin gulped but nodded. "Hai, Uzuki-taichou."

Yugao sighed and gave a reluctant nod. "Work hard, prove yourself, and you'll find that all of this will have given you something greater than you've ever achieved before." Without waiting for Kin's response, Yugao walked away and went into her office, leaving the three.

After she had gone. Yuriko let out a sigh and then turned to Kin. "So, what's your chakra affinity?"

Kin shrugged. "I don't really know. My village just had me do espionage work and infiltration. I never learned what type I am."

Yuriko looked at her, her eyes as large as saucers. "You're kidding, right?"

Kin shook her head.

"Figures with Oto." Akira grumbled.

Yuriko sighed and then reached behind her and brought out a piece of chakra paper. "Here, send some chakra through this paper and we'll see what type you are."

Kin nodded and put her finger to the edge of the paper. Concentrating, she closed her eyes as she felt her chakra running to her hand and slowly went to her finger. Her ears heard a loud crackling sound.

"Whoa!"

Kin opened her eyes to see that Yuriko had backed away and the chakra paper she was once holding was now smoldering on the cushion of the couch. Kin looked to Yuriko who was gaping at her while Akira, in his chair, was chuckling.

"Well, well, she's a lightening type, huh?"

Yuriko nodded, still staring at Kin.

"What's wrong?" Kin asked.

Yuriko said nothing, at first, but then she slumped against the couch and sighed heavily. "In Konoha, there are two types of Elemental Affinities that are alien, if not rare. Those two are wind and lightening."

Kin nodded, "Alright, so what do I do, then?"

Yuriko sighed, "There's nothing much, unfortunately, you, or we, can do, at this point in time. I'll talk to Uzuki-taichou about it and see if there's anything we can scrounge up but in the mean time, I'd suggest we'd build up on your chakra reserves. Seeing as how you're barely at the minimum you should be, this will largely be part of your 'recovery effort'."

Kin sighed as she put her fingers together and twiddled her thumbs. "What else?"

Akira looked up from his book. "How's your taijutsu?"

Kin shrugged, "Fair, I guess. In Oto I was in the top of my class of Kunoichi's."

Akira nodded, "Well, we'll have a spar just to be safe."

Kin nodded in return.

Suddenly, Yugao came out of her office and motioned for the two, other than Kin, and they got up and came to her. Kin watched, curiously, as they talked barely above a whisper, ever so lightly turning their heads to her direction or giving her a glance. When finished, Yuriko sighed and called over her shoulder.

"Hey, Tsuchi? We're going to need you to come back tomorrow. We've got an assignment today, so you're training will have be put on hold until tomorrow."

Kin, at first, stared blankly at the trio, wondering what could have happened to offset her first day of training; in the end, she sighed and nodded. She was glad, in a way, that her training for today got cut short, despite there not being any actually training involved. She felt she could only take so much brow-beating from Yugao without resorting back to her 'Oto-personality'.

Kin nodded to Yuriko and proceeded to get up.

"Don't slack off, Tsuchi. Be here exactly the same time you camein today, tomorrow." Yugao warned.

Kin nodded, "Hai, Uzuki-taichou."

Yugao nodded and then resumed her conversation with her two subordinates. Watching ever so carefully as Kin walked to the door, put on her shoes, and then leave. Once the door closed, she let out a sigh and then motioned the two back to the places they were sitting.

"Well, tell me. How big of a train-wreck am I working with? Be honest."

Yurkio gave a smile. "She'll do, Uzuki-taichou. She's rusty, but that's not surprising given how her training was conducted."

Akira nodded, picking back up the book he was reading. "She'll be loyal. If anything, I believe she feels this to be her last resort. Better than imprisonment and, more importantly, better than facing Orochimaru whom she betrayed at the last moment."

Yugao sighed. "I still don't trust her."

"How long did it take for you to trust us?" Yuriko asked, giving a bemused smile.

Yugao smirked. "I still don't trust you, as far as I'm concerned." She then let out another sigh as she glanced at the doorway where Kin had left. "All in all, we'll just have to see what this girl decides to do."

To be continued....

A/N: I know this was hasty and extremely uneventful, but it had its purposes as to direct where the story's going to go in this arc. Basically, it'll be Kin's training with WASP, a little more insight on the two other members, and also a coming to understanding with Yugao and Kin. Other, more, immediate characters will make their appearance now and then, but Naruto's homecoming won't be until a few chapters ahead, or more depending upon where I decide to take with Kin's ANBU training. So stay tuned and review.

Next Chapter: "The Few, The Proud, The ANBU."

Q-n-P


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